a502410

that his teachers had a cut-and-paste approach to Islam; however, he felt that
raising questions would be useless, and he decided to continue on with his
mission. 47 In late 2008, he went with another man to Golok, Thailand to fight on
behalf of Muslims. 48 Upon his arrival, Fadly was detained by authorities and
imprisoned in Narathiwat prison. 49 Fadly has since stated that he believes Ustaz
Mohamed has some ten cells like the one that Fadly joined in Malaysia that may
also be recruiting from the general populace. 50
Looking Forward
The predominant danger that Malaysia faces is the revival of JI and KMM, as
well as the rise of extremist groups like Hizbut Tahrir. As terrorism is a byproduct
of extremism, caution is paramount and constant vigilance is required.
As in the past, Malaysia will be used as an area from which terrorist groups plan
and coordinate attacks, as well as a point of transit for the transportation of
weapons, terrorist operatives, and their supporters to other Southeast Asian
nations. Malaysia’s vast territorial footprint, centrality in Southeast Asia, and
porous coastline generates the potential for Malaysia to be used again as a
terrorist safe haven or transit point in the future is very real.
Importantly, the threat of terrorism to Malaysia differs between the various
regions. This disparity can be in part attributed to the distinction between eastern
and western geopolitics and the differing emphasis that has been undertaken in
countering terrorism in each region. In the west, the main threat has come from JI
and the KMM, both of which have been dismantled for the time being. In the
east, the danger stems from Sabah, the area close to the Sulu Archipelago, “and a
porous tri-border sea area between the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.” 51
The high potential for terrorist attacks within this area is a result of “decades of
poor governance, economic and political marginalization, lack of state capacity,
and separatist conflict [which have] turned this area into an ‘ungoverned space’
and hence a haven for transnational criminals, including terrorists.” 52 If not
addressed, this black hole near east Malaysia poses a grave problem not only to
47
Ibid.
48
Ibid.
49
Ibid.
50
Ibid.
51
Ian Storey, “The Triborder Sea Area: Maritime Southeast Asia's Ungoverned Space,” Global
Terrorism Analysis 5, no. 19 (11 October 2007),
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2373708 (last accessed: 27
November 2007).
52
Ibid.
28