Abstract

In Malaysia, the primary security issue remains the threat of terrorism. Two police officers were killed in the most recent attack in Ulu Tiram, Johor in May. Five are facing prosecution and many more are still waiting to be brought to court after more than twenty arrests were made nationwide following the incident. This tragedy demonstrates unequivocally the seriousness of the threat of terrorism and how urgently it needs to be addressed in the country.

Field data collection suggests that there is a notable gap between deradicalisation and indoctrination efforts, which ultimately contributes to radicalism and recidivism. The threat of online terrorism seems to be growing in Malaysia, despite a notable decline in the number of arrests linked to terrorism in recent years. The greatest threat facing Malaysia is the importation of foreign radical ideologies, as well decreasing barriers of access to ideologies such as Wahhabism and other extreme political narratives.

To tackle terrorism and establish public safety, the Malaysian government has implemented several new measures including the National Security Index 2024, National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (NAPPCVE), and the Public Security & Order Index 2024. Although external and domestic threats pose a real risk to Malaysia’s security and sovereignty, the government is perceived as being on the right track in its fight against terrorism.

This presentation will provide an analysis of the current terrorism threat in Malaysia in light of recent developments and discuss some of the counter-terrorism strategies that have been adopted by the government.

About the Speaker

Mohd. Mizan Aslam is currently Professor in Security & Strategic Studies at the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM). Prof. Mizan is also a Senior Fellow at the Global Peace Institute (GPI), London, United Kingdom. He serves as a member of the National Panel for Deradicalisation, a special task-force unit for the rehabilitation of terrorist inmates in Malaysia. He works closely with the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia in developing modules and programmes on deradicalisation of terrorists. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) and works with the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington as a Country Expert analysing terrorism and extremism issues in Southeast Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

His past positions include Professor in Counter Terrorism Studies at the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where he established the Centre for Terrorism & Extremism Studies (CTES) and visiting scholar at University of Hawaii, USA; Ibn Haldun University, Turkey; and Universitas Sultan Yusoff, Indonesia.