Should we worry about Islamic State in Malaysia?

UNMC Assistant Professor Guy Burton was recently interviewed by the online magazine, Malaysian Digest, on the threat associated with Islamic State in Malaysia. He was asked to comment on whether Malaysian youth were at risk of joining Islamic State and its struggle and what steps should be taken to discourage this from happening.

Dr Burton, who researches and teaches on the politics and international relations of the Middle East, said that it was a combination of misplaced idealism combined with anger and frustration among young people at the state of the world, coupled with ubiquitous social media technologies which enabled Islamic State to get its message across.

Asked to comment on how best to tackle the issue, Dr Burton encouraged open dialogue within families, Friends and family should talk with each other and discuss what is going on in the world. Parents should take an interest in what their children are doing, engaging with them over these difficult issues, talking about what is the appropriate way to deal with them and related actions.

The interview, along with the rest of the article, can be accessed and read at the following link.