State-owned Radio and Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) will screen exclusive video clips on a daily basis for a week to warn the public about the pitfalls of fanaticism and how it threatens national security.

Deputy Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin ( right ) said the screening, to commence on Sunday, will showcase footage never seen by the public before.

"These include the exclusive video clip on the arrest of Al Arqam leader Ashaari Mohamad and his followers at a police station in south Thailand in September 1994," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Zainuddin said RTM would air the video clip during the Berita Perdana slot and after seven consecutive days, all of the video clips would be joined and shown as a single programme.

He said RTM would announce the viewing time and date of this programme later.

Exclusive interviews

According to the deputy minister, the video clips also had exclusive interviews with several personalities on their experience with religious deviants.

Among them are the leader of popular nasyid group Rabbani, Asri Ibrahim, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) academician Prof Madya Dr Mansor Mustafa and novelist Ali Ahmad, popularly known as "Nora".

Zainuddin said these personalities talked on how they became 'fanatics' and threats that fanaticism posed against the society and nation.

He assured viewers that individuals interviewed made their confessions voluntarily, neither they were coerced nor offered monetary rewards by the government.

Comments made by the ulama (cleric) on dangerous repercussions of fanaticism like creating splits among Muslims were also included in the video clips, he said.

Zainuddin said the video clips also depicted how the western media manipulated individuals who were fanatics of certain teachings or groups to suit their purpose and how these groups and individuals used the western media to achieve their agenda.