KEPALA BATAS: Contrary to popular belief, religious schools are not breeding grounds for religious extremists. Instead, working professionals make up the majority of arrests linked to the Islamic State (IS) group.
Federal police's Counter-Terrorism Division principal assistant director, Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, said arrests involving religious schools make up only one or two cases, with the rest involving professionals such as lecturers, teachers, higher education institution students, as well as policemen.
He said police have since 2013 arrested 453 people involved in IS-related activities.
“From the total, the majority of those arrested did not come from religious streams; in fact, those arrested more often than not had an extremely poor grasp of religious knowledge.
“This thereby disproves the general perception that religious schools are hotbeds for the rise of terrorists. This is absolutely untrue,” he said.
Ayob Khan was speaking to the press after attending an Crime-Free Declaration event for religious schools here on Tuesday.
A total of 208 registered religious schools comprising Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR), tahfiz as well as pondok institutions in the state pledged to ensure that their schools were free of criminal and extremist elements.
Ayob Khan said the arrests involving IS last year showed a decline, with more than 80 people detained.
He urged the public to continue channeling information to the police. especially those on suspicious individuals and those involved in deviant teachings so that further action can be taken.
“The onslaught of technology and borderless information has led the public to become easily swayed by extremist ideology, which uses religion to manipulate a person’s thoughts and behaviour.
“As such, it is difficult for the police to tackle the issue of ideology if it does not receive help and cooperation from all quarters, given that even now, efforts are ongoing to recruit Malaysians to join IS in Syria and the southern Philippines,” he said.
Meanwhile, Penang Islamic Religious Department (JAIPP) education deputy director, Rosli Othman, said the department is adopting a preventive approach to ensure that extremist ideals do not seep into religious institutions in the state.
“For now, there have been no reports on religious schools in the state being involved in crimes or extremism.
“We are taking preventive measures to stem the spread of this phenomenon to ensure that it does not influence teachers and students,” he said.