Malaysia's king condemns religious extremists
Malaysia's king condemns religious extremists
Agence-France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia's new king condemned violent religious extremists and
distortions of Islamic teachings in his first address to
parliament on Monday.
Firm action was being taken to "trace and eliminate" extremist
groups posing a threat to national security, said King Tuanku
Syed Sirajuddin, who was sworn in last December.
Malaysia has in recent months detained dozens of alleged
religious militants accused of plotting the overthrow of the
government and having links with terrorist organizations such as
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda.
The king also said he was "saddened with the emergence lately
of several issues pertaining to Islam which could harm public
order and national security".
These included a wrong interpretation of the concept of jihad
(holy war) to mean "mere force, violence and bloodshed", he told
a joint sitting of the upper and lower houses at the opening of a
new parliamentary session.
"We call upon the people to revert to the true religious
teachings, in order to achieve success and excellence in every
aspect of life in this world and hereafter," he said.
Islam is the official religion in Malaysia, which has a Muslim
majority, and the king is its symbolic head.
The main opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) accuses the
government of not being Islamic enough, however, and plans to
impose a purist Islamic state if it comes to power.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad last year declared that
Malaysia already was an Islamic state, and the king reaffirmed
this while offering comfort to Malaysians of other beliefs.
"We wish to stress that Malaysia as an Islamic country does
not in any way hinder the lives of the multiracial society and
religious freedom...
"On the contrary, the people at large feel safe and free from
any oppression in the name of religion, be it among Muslims or
those of differing faiths."
Malaysia has large minorities of Buddhists, Hindus and
Christians.
Under the constitution, the position of king -- known in Malay
as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (He Who is Made Lord) -- is rotated
every five years among the traditional Malay rulers of nine
states.
The king is head of state as well as the nominal head of the
military and all three branches of government. He signs bills and
appoints ministers, judges and ambassadors.
But real power is wielded by Mahathir, who has been prime
minister for the past 20 years.