Malaysia is not being pressured by the United States and its allies to crack down on Muslim activists and militant groups in the country, said Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Leo Michael Toyad today.

According to the minister, the government is acting against these activists and extremist groups to safeguard the interests of the country and foster unity among the races.

"(We do this) as PAS' demonstrations and calls for jihad against America cannot bring peace and stability to the country," said Toyad during the question-and-answer session.

The minister was responding to a question by Zulhasnan Rafique (BN - Wangsa Maju) who asked him to comment on an Asian Wall Street Journal report on Sept 13 which speculated that Malaysia could have been pressured by the United States and its allies to act against such elements.

When the military campaign against Afghanistan commenced last month, PAS called for a jihad against the United States and also staged a demonstration outside the US embassy.

Many were concerned that the government would use the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in the United States as an excuse to clamp down on opposition members, namely the Muslim-predominant PAS.

In August, several PAS members were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly being part of the Kumpulan Mujahideen Malaysia, a 'militant' group trained in Afghanistan which allegedly planned to overthrow the government.

Minor commotion

Meanwhile, Zulhasnan today also questioned the implications of such outside pressure, if true, on the development of Islam in Malaysia.

Malaysia is a moderate Islamic country but several quarters, especially foreigners, have projected the country as a fundamentalist one, said the member of Parliament.

Toyad replied that the government is doing its best to enhance the country's image by improving its relations with other governments.

Following this, Zawawi Ahmad (PAS - Padang Terap) asked Toyad to state how much he understands the concept of jihad .

Toyad refused to answer beyond saying his earlier comment about PAS' jihad call was not his personal view but that of the government.

This caused a minor commotion as PAS MPs demanded a reply from the minister.

At this point, Speaker Mohamed Abdullah intervened and told the House that Toyad need not answer and chided Zawawi for asking such a question.