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n the war against the Islamic State (IS), the country (Malaysia) has rightly aligned itself to the coalition headed by Saudi Arabia. It is believed the forces are ready to strike Syria and we will soon see Muslim boots in the war against IS terrorists in Iraq and Syria.

So, are we saying we are preparing for war against IS? The government has put us on high alert, and we walked next to security personnel in shopping malls, railway stations and airports.

For once, we felt secure and protected.

I note that the country has been strengthening its laws, adding on to its military assets, forming cooperation with other countries, maintaining a high visibility for its defence capabilities, and stocking up on food, medicines, energy and other needs, including financial, housing, and disaster relief and management.

The country'€™s main focus is on overcoming the IS threat at home and abroad. What became clear from the efforts by the government was that this threat knows no borders.

It has to be dealt with within the context of the larger defense cooperation adopted by the ummah in confronting the IS challenge. It was in this context that Malaysia attended a meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. The meeting was also attended by the two other Muslim-majority countries in the ASEAN community: Indonesia and Brunei. It is to be noted that ASEAN has been home to terrorist groups that have been fighting for Islamic causes.

It can be established that the region has become a source of recruitment for these movements in their fight against the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria and will be the next target for IS activities. Hence, the reaction by the authorities is to prepare for the worst. On this point, how much preparation can be considered as adequate? For the country, we can fall back on the long history of our involvement in peacekeeping operations under the UN flag and our participation as peace negotiators in conflicts in the southern Philippines and southern Thailand. We can apply this experience in a future battle with IS in the name of consolidating the ummah, peace in the ASEAN Community and for our continued wellbeing as a nation.

AZHARI-KARIM
New Straits Times/ANN/Kuala Lumpur