Don’t become ‘fake warriors’ by joining IS, Malaysian youths told

KUALA LUMPUR — Young Malaysians who want to help Syrians should not join the Islamic State (IS) and become “fake warriors”, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Sunday (Jan 15).

Speaking after reports emerged of the deaths of two Malaysian youths in Syria on Saturday, who were fighting for the militant group, Mr Khairy said that those who want to make a difference should join volunteering programmes instead, including one helmed by the ministry.

“We have a volunteering programme called My Corps. We have some 50 volunteers in Syrian refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan,” he told reporters after closing the Bank Negara’s financial carnival in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

“If they want to make a difference in the world, want to help Muslims and Syrians, they can join such programmes instead,” he added.

He urged youths not to “destroy lives” and further add misery in taking up their cause under IS.

More than 25 Malaysian IS fighters have reportedly been killed to date while fighting in Syria and Iraq.

Many of them were reportedly still in their 20s, with at least nine of them having been suicide bombers. MALAY MAIL ONLINE