THE 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) reveals a troubling reversal in the global fight against terrorism.
After nearly a decade of progress, the world has seen an 11% increase in terrorism-related deaths, with 66 countries reporting at least one attack in 2024 up from 58 the previous year.
While Malaysia still ranks low in direct terrorism incidents, the recent Ulu Tiram attack where a lone assailant killed two police officers in Johor marks a significant and disturbing development.
This incident is not just a singular tragedy it is a symptom of a broader, more insidious trend: youth radicalisation and the rise of lone-wolf extremism, driven by digital propaganda, identity politics, and ideological distortion.
It is no longer sufficient to view terrorism as solely a security issue. Malaysia must treat it as a societal challenge, where the Education Ministry and the Youth and Sports Ministry are central to a national strategy.
Lone wolves in our backyard
The Ulu Tiram attacker had no known affiliation with global terrorist groups like ISIS or al-Qaeda. Like many perpetrators of lone-wolf violence in the West, he was reportedly radicalised through online content, consumed in digital echo chambers without formal recruitment or training.
The GTI notes that 93% of fatal terror attacks in the West over the past five years were executed by such individuals self-radicalised, ideologically motivated, and increasingly young.
Malaysia now faces a similar trajectory. Our youth, highly connected and socially aware, are also vulnerable to ideological manipulation, particularly in times of political instability, socioeconomic inequality, or perceived marginalisation.
Race, religion, and the politics of division
Malaysia’s rich multi-ethnic and multi-religious composition, once a hallmark of national pride, is being increasingly weaponised. Certain political figures exploit race and religion to consolidate support, often at the expense of national cohesion.
Simultaneously, hate preachers and religious extremists exploit online platforms and local sermons to propagate narratives that portray religious or ethnic groups as existential threats.
When youth repeatedly encounter these messages whether through WhatsApp chains, social media, or even the pulpit they begin to internalise a distorted worldview: one that legitimises violence in defence of identity.
The seeds of radicalisation are no longer planted by foreign fighters they are cultivated at home, in plain sight.
Cultivating resilience in the classroom
Education is Malaysia’s most powerful tool in the fight against extremism. The Education Ministry must urgently revise its approach, ensuring that classrooms become incubators of tolerance, critical thinking, and civic responsibility.
First, digital literacy and media awareness must be fully integrated into the national curriculum from primary school to tertiary education.
Young Malaysians must learn how to evaluate sources, question narratives, and challenge extremist content. This skillset is not only academic it is a defence against ideological harm.
Second, interfaith education and civic studies must be revitalised to promote mutual respect and national unity.
Students should learn not only about their own heritage but also about the histories, beliefs, and contributions of others. These lessons humanise “the other” and inoculate young minds against divisive rhetoric.
Third, teacher training is essential. Educators must be equipped to detect early warning signs of radicalisation such as withdrawal, sudden changes in worldview, or fixation on identity-based grievances.
But more importantly, they must be supported with referral pathways that connect schools to mental health professionals, social workers, and community organisations, enabling early intervention without criminalisation.
Offering purpose and belonging
Radical ideologies often prey on disenfranchised youth those who feel invisible, undervalued, or disempowered. The Youth and Sports Ministry must take proactive steps to provide these young Malaysians with meaningful alternatives to extremism.
This includes expanding access to youth empowerment programmes, especially in underserved and high-risk areas such as Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, and parts of urban Klang Valley.
Leadership development, skills training, sports leagues, and creative arts programmes should be used to build self-esteem, provide structure, and foster social inclusion.
Youth centres can also become platforms for counter-narratives safe spaces where difficult issues can be discussed, identities explored, and dissent expressed without violence.
By collaborating with athletes, influencers, musicians, and activists, the ministry can promote messages of unity, peace, and resilience on platforms where young people already engage YouTube, TikTok, Discord, and more.
A youth security strategy
Malaysia needs a coordinated, youth-centric national security strategy. The Education Ministry and the Youth and Sports Ministry should no longer operate on the sidelines of counter-terrorism but be fully integrated into the National Security Council’s efforts.
This strategy should include a National Youth Vulnerability Index to map communities at higher risk of radicalisation based on socio-economic indicators, digital activity, and reported grievances.
Real-time monitoring and analysis of extremist digital content, using AI and partnerships with tech companies to flag recruitment materials and hate speech.
Community-led rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, offering second chances to youth influenced by radical ideologies, with the involvement of psychologists, imams, teachers, and civil society leaders.
Prevention is the new security
Malaysia’s current position on the GTI is relatively stable but it is no cause for complacency. The Ulu Tiram incident is not an anomaly it is a harbinger.
Unless we act now, we risk a future where extremist violence becomes normalised, youth disillusionment becomes weaponised, and national unity unravels.
By redefining education and youth development as security imperatives, Malaysia can lead the region in proactive counter-extremism.
The Education Ministry and the Youth and Sports Ministry must not just participate in national security planning they must lead the charge in safeguarding Malaysia’s future. The window for prevention is open. Let us not wait for it to close. ‒ June 5, 2025
R. Paneir Selvam is the principal consultant of Arunachala Research & Consultancy Sdn Bhd, a think tank specialising in strategic national and geopolitical matters.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: FMT
