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‘Zahid, how can Zamihan be trusted to deradicalise terrorists?’

YOURSAY | ‘The preacher's actions so far point to someone who will inculcate the opposite of inclusiveness.’

DPM: Zamihan is an asset, deradicalisation expert

RR: Very sad that this statement of accreditation of preacher Zamihan Mat Zin's deradicalisation of terrorists comes from the Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who is in charge of the country’s internal security, besides being the deputy prime minister.

Both the rulers of Selangor and Johor have been wronged by the DPM's statement. Is the country so short of good Islamic teachers to rehabilitate hardcore terrorists?

Alfanso: Zahid, we are very concerned about your preference for people like preacher Zakir Naik and Zamihan. Why do you vouch for people like that when there so many good souls around who you fail to give support to?

My question would be, does Zamihan hold any degree or qualifications related to deradicalisation, or is it merely by holding a religious qualification and speaking in other languages which qualifies him as an expert for rehabilitation of terrorists? How naive can the DPM be?

Anonymous: Zamihan's actions and words so far do not point to a person who will inculcate inclusiveness but rather, the segregation of people. He has also shown himself to be a liar when he said he wasn’t referring to the respected Johor ruler when Sultan Ibrahim reprimanded him.

So how can such a person be trusted to deradicalise terrorists? What stellar record is the DPM talking about? Is there any third party other than our DPM who can verify such a strong statement?

Fairnsquare: Politicians should not directly contradict the decision of the monarchs. There are
proper channels to discuss these matters.

The royalty is not merely an individual but a respected institution that not only commands but demands the respect of all citizens, including politicians. Let us go back to the Rukun Negara.

AJ: Really, Zahid? Even you, who sanitised Zakir Naik as a good guy, even though he is firmly believed to be funding and assisting terrorists and is a wanted criminal by the biggest democracy in the world, cannot justify the foul-mouthed Zamihan.

Why don't we have polite, sincere, knowledgeable, and moderate preachers anyone? Why do we need Zamihan whom the rulers of this country have rejected? Or is there another agenda at work here?

Hamzah Paiman: After Zamihan insulted the Johor ruler, Zahid wants to forgive him. Zamihan himself preaches animosity among races and disrespects the sultan. How can he be forgiven? It is good that Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar wants to cut off links with the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim).

Odysseus: I wonder how can one who speaks in such a radical manner help to rehabilitate a terrorist.

If he were to speak in Western countries, he would have been picked up and sent back to Malaysia on the next flight. I suppose our standard of deradicalisation is rather low.

Proarte: How surreal that a racist and Muslim supremacist like Zamihan is regarded as an “expert” in deradicalising terrorists.

It seems to me the person with a terrorist mindset and who is in need of deradicalisation is Zamihan himself.

Tan Kim Keong: Yes, Zahid, in your mind he is an asset for deradicalisation. Just wondering, how does he deradicalise terrorists when he vehemently supports the exclusivity of laundrettes and unequivocally disapproved of a surau for giving temporary shelter to non-Muslim flood victims?

Maybe Zahid has another definition of deradicalisation or what he meant was that Zamihan is an asset to ensure exclusivity and supremacy.

Hope: A radical to deradicalise another? This is indeed very alarming especially since this came from such a high-ranking minister.

Ib: Based on what he has said and done, he seems like a radical by ordinary standards, yet he is labelled a deradicalisation expert by the standards of Zahid or the Home Ministry?

No wonder my Malay friends are considering migrating from this country.

Newday: Zahid, the twisted logic you apply to the controversy is staggering. We were previously informed that Zakir Naik is a wonderful human being and today that this radical ustaz is a wonderful person, too.

Any rational person knows that the opposite is true, as Zakir is an inciter of contempt for religions not his own and Zamihan is exactly the same.

Zamihan deradicalising terrorists? How can that be when he himself preaches nasty stuff about non-Muslims and condemns moderate Muslims? Your words are like poison to an open and embracing society.


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