Academic Maszlee Malik has proposed that controversial preacher Zamihan Mat Zin's counter-terror credentials be evaluated by an independent party.

This was after Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi described Zamihan as an asset in rehabilitating extremists.

Maszlee said if someone who had made racial comments and hate speech, can be a counter-terror asset for the Home Ministry, it should "be evaluated by other experts or third-party organisations like the Human Rights Commission, Suaram or any groups of academics and researchers who are doing research on the subject matter".

Maszlee, who is an assistant professor with the International Islamic University Malaysia's Faculty of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, reminded that the rehabilitation process is a matter of national security.

The deputy prime minister's blanket statement without any evidence and experts’ evaluation will only create a mistrust among the people towards the government in handling this issue, he added. 

"(The) rakyat wouldn’t want those alleged IS-linked detainees to turn from extreme militants into racist-minded bigots once released from prison due to the sessions conducted by somebody who said openly that non-Muslims are infidels and unhygienic," he said.

Maszlee added that non-Muslim leaders in BN should also speak up on the matter.