Malaysia shuts down Saudi-backed anti-terrorism centre
The centre was supposed to attract Islamic scholars interested in combatting extremist views and promoting tolerance
Malaysia’s new government has closed a Saudi-backed anti-terrorism centre, just over a year after it was launched by the kingdom’s ruling monarch during a visit.
Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu said in a written reply to a question in parliament on Monday that the King Salman Centre for International Peace will cease operation immediately and that its function will be absorbed by the Malaysian Institute of Defence and Security.
He did not give a reason for the closure.
The centre, which aims to draw Islamic scholars to combat extremist views and promote tolerance, was announced in March last year during King Salman’s visit to Malaysia under former Malaysian leader Najib Razak. It has a temporary office in Kuala Lumpur while awaiting the construction of a permanent building in Malaysia’s administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Najib suffered a shocking defeat in May’s national polls and is now facing corruption charges.
