Hisham: Centre can help correct negative image of Islam

New place: Hishammuddin opening the Felda Kahang Timur community centre as Kahang assemblyman R. Vidyananthan looks on.

KLUANG: The King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP), to be set up in Malaysia, can help correct any negative image of Islam and its followers, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hus­sein.

He said the decision by Saudi Arabia to have the centre built here showed its confidence in the country’s leadership.

Hishammuddin, who is also the newly-appointed Special Functions Minister, added that Saudi’s royal adviser Sheikh Dr Mohamed Abdul Kareem told him that his government could have chosen other countries for the centre, but decided on Malaysia.

“We in Malaysia, practise Islam that is full of tolerance, love and peace, when others view Islam in a negative light,” he told a press conference after opening the Felda Ka­­hang Timur and Felda Ulu Dengar Umno branch meetings near here yesterday.

Hishammuddin said details on the centre would be announced during an official visit by Saudi Arabia Deputy Crown Prince Mo­­ham­­med Salman later in the year.

He also said that the centre’s joint patrons are Saudi Arabia’s Ruler King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V.

The Government has yet to de­­cide where the centre would be built.

The setting up of KSCIP in Malaysia was one of several outcomes of the four-day visit by King Salman here in February.

Separately, Hishammuddin said there was a need for Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia to give special focus to Sabah’s waters.

He said the involvement of the three countries has been proven to be effective especially in tackling the problems of kidnapping in Sa­­bah.

Recently five Malaysian kidnap victims were released with the help of the Philippine authorities.

Hishammuddin hoped that the cooperation would further strengthen with the launch of the Trilateral Maritime Patrol soon.

Trilateral Maritime Patrol is part of the Trilateral Cooperative Agree­ment between the three countries that also involves intelligence sha­ring and joint communications.