The Islamic State or IS militant group should be referred to as a terrorist or extremist group, instead of what it is called now, says the socio-cultural adviser to the government, RaisYatim.

Rais said the 'Islamic State' was a crucial term and it gave a sinful atmosphere to an Islamic state itself.

"One cannot accept IS as referring to Islamic State just like that. It (the IS militant group) is evil. An Islamic state is not evil. An Islamic state is dictated by syariah law."

Rais ( right ), who is also Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) adviser, said this in his closing address at the one-day International Conference on 'The New World Order - A Recipe for War or Peace' at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre in Putrajaya.

He said the word Islamic State was widely used because the United States used the word.

    

"Because the United States uses that word, we use that word as well," he added.

At a news conference after the conference, PGPF president Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the IS militant group was not an Islamic state but a bunch of terrorists.

"We were introduced to the term, Islamic State, by the United States and we accept it. This is not an Islamic state but a terrorist group.

"They might have been trained and supplied with weapons and money by those who call them IS. Therefore, we need to think over why the IS comprises Muslims who kill fellow Muslims," Mahathir said.

- Bernama