Home Ministry's Religious Officer, Zamihan Mat Zain, said it was due to wrong interpretation of Islam that some people in the country were influenced by extremism, and this has to be countered to avoid incidents of terrorism in this Muslim majority nation.
"They (leaders), for example, give inaccurate interpretation of the 'jihad' concept.
"The jihad concept is wide and not only confined to war, but the leader exploits religious teachings for personal interests to an extent of (being) willing to engage in violent act to overthrow a government," he added.
In a TV programme titled "Religion and Terrorism", Zamihan said Malaysia has formulated a rehabilitation module for members of militant groups who were detained.
"This programme can be carried out with the cooperation of the relevant agencies, like the Islamic Religious Department and the police," he added.
Meanwhile, city police official Ayob Khan said based on police observation on previous cases involving militant groups, most of them were influenced by external factors and were linked to Islam, state-run news agency Bernama said.
