KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday announced the formation of the Institute of Wasatiyyah to further the pursuit of moderation and balance in all aspects of life.
Najib said the institute will be operating as part of the Prime Minister’s Office.
To spearhead this work at an international level, the prime minister also announced the launch of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation.
It acts as the first resort for the consolidation and dissemination of information and campaign material to those who want to joint the fight against extremism as well as for governmental and non-governmental bodies alike.
Najib said, rather than being an exclusive initiative by Malaysia, the Global Movement of Moderates complements other initiatives for global dialogue and co-operation such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations.
“It will not be a campaign for the faint hearted, but we cannot allow this moment to be overtaken by extremists, with those who shout loudest gaining the most,” he said in his keynote address at the inaugural Global Movement of Moderates Conference (ICGMM), here yesterday. Rather, Najib said, it is for the moderates everywhere to stand firm and stand proud, to dissipate the pull of the extremes and to deny those at the margins a foothold on the middle ground, ensuring that frustrations, “wherever they are felt, are heeded and that the voices, wherever they speak out, are heard.”
To encourage more scholars, Najib said, an academic Chair of Wasatiyyah will be created, and will be operating under the University of Malaya, with the post holder to be announced in due course. — Bernama