Putra Jaya: The Government is monitoring madrasahs or religious schools for Muslims for terror-related activities, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Saturday after Islamic State (IS) militants succeeded in its first attack on Malaysia on June 28.Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, added that no activities have been found so far to link the local religious schools to the global terror group."We cooperate with the Islamic affairs departments of the respective states and for now we have not received any information about this.
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"But if there's any, the police would certainly take a few steps to monitor and act immediately," he told reporters after hosting a Hari Raya open house celebration for the public at his official residence here.The first successful attack in Malaysia by suspects with links to IS took place just over a week ago, prompting the Government to tighten security at all airports and train stations nationwide.
Putrajaya has also said it would will step up measures to counter the IS threat, which include plans to involve reformed militants in local universities who will advise students there against joining the terrorist organisation.Islamic religious schools worldwide, including Malaysia, have come under scrutiny due to the involvement of some of its teachers or students with militant groups.
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In January 2015, The New York Times published a video report on its website that Malaysian militant Mohd Lotfi Ariffin's death in fighting for IS in war-torn Syria has inspired the former religious teacher's students in Kedah to follow his path.In the same report, Mohd Lotfi's brother, Ustaz Mohd Zainon, was shown telling students at a local madrasah in Kedah that they should follow his path if they wished to become martyrs in the name of Islam.
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According to Facebook posts from other Malaysian jihadists, Mohd Lotfi died in 2014 after falling into a coma following an ambush on rebel militants.Later in February 2015, Mohd Zainon, the co-founder of the religious school, Madrasah Nurul Hidayah in Kuala Ketil, denied allegations that the school propagates militant ideologies among its students.