Police to brief universities over JI 'courtship'
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has said he will summon all institutions of higher learning to meet with the police, over reports that the alleged terror group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) is drawing young campus students into their movement.
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that university and institutions of higher learning will be summoned to meet with the police over reports that the terror group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) is drawing young campus students into their movement.
Muhyiddin (left), who is also the education minister, said the government considered this development as serious as the police has a substantial amount of information on it.
"We do not want this to threaten the security of the nation," said Muhyiddin after officiating the St George's Conference 2010 in Universiti Sains Malaysia today.
"Therefore all university and institutions of higher learning will be asked to meet with the police for a briefing."
JI was reported to be luring students into its movement via ceramahs that touch on the jihad (holy struggle) and inviting them to join militants abroad, Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan had said.
He added that the group had been trying to get 20 to 30 of these young people from local universities into their movement.
Muhyiddin, who is the BN deputy chairperson, said in the briefing, universities and institutions of higher learning will be told about the current status and position of the movement.
"The police will inform them of the situation so that this matter can be controlled," he told reporters at a press conference.
"We hope that the institutions will be very cautious about this because it is happening outside their knowledge," he added.
Muhyiddin said the government will allow the police to handle this matter and take all necessary action against the group if the allegations were true.
On today's BN meeting in Hotel Equatorial, Muhyiddin was mum about what actually transpired during the meeting which lasted 30 minutes.
"Since it is a closed door meeting, I don't really have to tell you what happened," he joked.
"But it is actually my usual meeting with BN component parties in Penang, so that I can learn about the current affairs in the state, and the current developments with the different divisions and branches," he added.
