IDC Participants Highlight Efforts in Tackling Terrorism

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 (Bernama) -- Participants of the two-day International Conference on Deradicalisation and Countering Violent Extremism (IDC) 2016 underway here have been comparing notes in a bid to get the upper hand over terror groups like Daesh. They were on the same page on, among others, the need to counter propaganda spewed by such terrorist organisations which had wreaked havoc in many cities across the world, such as Istanbul, Paris and Jakarta. David Gersten, deputy director of the Office for Community Partnerships under the United States (US) Department of Homeland Security, said his government was working closely with the private sector and technology community to disrupt terrorist plots and deny them digital safe haven. "We see potential for collaboration with other partners...we all have much to learn about the best ways...to build credible counter narratives against the terrorists," he said at the conference Monday which was opened by Prime Minister Najib Razak. "We must scale up our data science and analytics, and we must seek the best talent to work on these issues. Together, we can nurture and empower a global network of positive messages to push back the terrorists' limited vision," he said. Meanwhile, Australia's Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Counter-Terrorism, Michael Keenan, said working with online media giants had been among the key components in the government's commitment to counter violent extremism. He said such cooperation focused, among others, on coming to grips with extremist materials. "We're putting our support behind trusted and credible voices who can reach out to challenge the hypocrisy, inconsistencies and false claims of terrorist groups," he said. Japan's ambassador in charge of International Cooperation for Countering Terrorism and International Organised Crime, Tsukasa Kawada, said the Muslim community in Japan had taken the trouble to engage with other communities to shed light on the true teachings of Islam. This, he said, would go a long way in countering the distorted beliefs of the extremists. "We believe that these kinds of voluntary exchanges between Muslims and other residents should be encouraged to create an inclusive society and contribute towards the prevention of radicalisation," Kawada said. Over in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had also joined hands with the US in setting up an initiative called 'Sawab' in support of the global coalition against Daesh. UAE's Federal Criminal Police director-general, Brigadier Hamad Ajlan Al Amimi said Sawab, which signifies 'being on the right path' in Arabic, used online communication and social media tools to convey the correct perspectives about Islam. It also amplifies the voices of the moderates that were often drowned by the noise of the extremists, he said. Meanwhile, director of International Cooperation Division of Indonesian Anti-Terrorism Agency, Irjen Petrus Golose, said they were willing to forge closer cooperation with Malaysia in the fighting terror activities. He said the existing laws on anti-terrorism in Malaysia could be studied and emulated by Indonesia. The conference is being attended by representatives from ASEAN countries as well as Australia, France, Italy, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the United States. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA