Seen among global leaders, Najib warns Iran on terror

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak – accepted with open arms the global top brass in the fight on terror – warned Iran on its role in supporting ‘terror groups’ in the Middle East region.

Speaking to Arab News, Najib said: “I am aware that there is a widespread belief here that Iran has contributed largely to the instability in the region.”

He said Malaysia, a country that enjoys and values good relations with countries in the region, feels that “Iran should and must avoid any action that could be seen as interfering in the internal affairs of its neighbors.”

“This is not only for the sake of regional stability but also for the unity of the ummah,” Najib said.

In this veiled menace to Iran, Najib was probably conveying the message by the Saudi Arabian regime to Teheran.

The message during US President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week was filled with reference to Iran as a destabilising force and how the US will support Saudi Arabia against the Shia regime.

The picture above shows Najib next to Trump, King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi.

Najib has now enshrined Malaysia in the global war against terror, with Trump in the lead and Saudi Arabia as a backer.

This is part of the emergence of a new strategic partnership between the US and Arab and Muslim countries, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told Arab News Monday.

Najib, who attended the summit, said the partnership is not only military but will also focus on winning hearts and minds via an awareness program to fight terrorism and extremism online.

“A credible narrative needs to be told in which Islam and modernity are compatible. Material progress and religious devotion go hand in hand, and religious knowledge and scientific inquiry reinforce one another,” he said.

“We must emphasize and reinforce our stories so the true Islam is known the world over, while at the same time coordinating to crush Daesh and its allies wherever their malign presence is felt.”

Najib said Trump understands that the enemy of the West is not Islam or Muslims, but those who were converted by Daesh and other militant groups via social media to achieve their own ends. We cannot put all Muslims in one basket.

The vast majority of Muslims are peace-loving people who respect the faiths of other people.”

The world should have no doubt that we stand collectively with the international community in the fight to eradicate this global menace, Najib added.

“We in Malaysia have not flagged in our efforts to combat the spread of radicalism. To this end, my government has promoted the concept of wasatiyyah, which is the Qur’anic injunction toward moderation,” said Najib.