Counter-narratives in Practice: Examining Public Campaigns in Malaysia

• In Event: Words Matter: Examining Communication-based Strategies That Facilitate and Counter Radicalization

Abstract

This research examines the role of counter-narratives in preventing and countering violent extremism in a multi-racial, Muslim-majority country (i.e., 61.3 percent Muslim population) in Southeast Asia, namely, Malaysia. In Malaysia, counter-narratives strategies were carried out extensively through public awareness campaigns – including public sermons, prints, visual and news media, coordinated by various government institutions and civil society organizations – to address the threat of radicalization amongst a small population of individuals and groups. To explore the potential influence of counter-narratives on religiously-inspired extremist ideologies in Malaysia, this research analyses publicly available counter-narratives materials published between 2015-2021. The study further provides a synthesis of the interdisciplinary literature on the mechanism that could drive the effect of counter-narratives and discusses whether and how those insights resonate with the rationale that informs Malaysia’s counter-narrative strategies. Future directions for research and policymakers are concluded.

Author

• Aishah Mokhtar, University College London