KOTA KINABALU June 25: The government, NGOs and members of the society should cooperate to prevent and counter violent extremism which has very destructive effects on the society.
Director of Digital Strategic Communication Division South East Asia Regional Centre for Counter Terrorism (SEARCCT) Thomas Koruth Samuel (pic) said, a healthy engagement should be established with all levels of the community to build the capacity to address the terrorism issues.
“Marketers and advertisers will definitely enhance the effort to disseminate the fundamental knowledge about terrorism to the people,” said Thomas here today.
Thomas was speaking to the participants in the “Workshop on the role of media in covering violent extremism (CVE) and radicalization leading to terrorism” organized by Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) and US embassy.
The workshop was attended by 30 media practitioners from all over the country after the first edition “Role of media in covering security cooperation” held in Kuching, Sarawak last April.
Meanwhile, Terrorism Analyst, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Asso.Prof. Dr. Danial Mohd. Yusof said, a former terrorist whom he had interviewed told him that he became a terrorist because he did not have any legal knowledge and thought his involvement in violent extremism activities will solve the issues faced by the society.
Danial defined radicalization as a process where an individual’s belief move from being relatively mainstream to seeking a drastic change in society.
He added, radicalization does not necessarily mean these people will become violent. But once an individual decides that terror and violence are justified to achieve ideological, political or social change, he/she has become a violent extremist.
Among the answers given by ex- terrorists of their involvement in violent extremism are “I can’t see myself 3-4 days without eating on the battlefield, ” he said-Malaysia World News
