PUTRAJAYA, Jan 11 (Malaymailonline) — Liberals are targeting powerful people in the government, an activist from a Muslim group claimed today at a forum against liberalism and the so-called Illuminati here.

wacana-muafakat-liberalisme-ako-17jan2017A. Karim Omar, the vice-president of Muslim group Muafakat, expressed concern over the supposed rise of liberalism here, with liberal groups allegedly receiving large funds to hold their activities.

“It is at various levels, their focus is people who have positions, inside the government or those who are not part of the government, inside the government or the opposition, inside the Selangor state government and the state’s opposition.

“For me liberalism is at a worrying level,” he said in a questions-and-answers session at the forum, without giving further details.

Karim claimed that at least 30 international organisations, foundations, and agencies provide fund to hundreds of liberal organisations in Malaysia. He did not provide a list of these groups.

He was particularly worried by think-tank Penang Institute, which he said received huge funds to hold programmes almost every week to purportedly attack Islam.

“Why Penang institute wants to discuss about Islam, they should have discussed about Penang?” he said.

Earlier during the forum, he had listed down women’s group Sisters in Islam, Muslim group Islamic Renaissance Front, and Institute for Policy Research (IKD) as three major liberal movements here.

Karim also named imprisoned opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who had formed IKD, as one of the liberal figureheads in the country.

The forum today titled “Liberalism: Agenda of the Illuminati” was organised by Muslim group Muafakat, with support from Jakim and the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council.

Earlier in the forum, Muafakat president Ismail Mina Ahmad had accused the Illuminati of being linked to Zionism. According to him, the spread of liberalism is part of a “Grand Design” by Zionists to allegedly destroy Islam.

The Illuminati is a conspiracy theory where secret group of masterminds allegedly control world affairs and try to establish a New World Order, although there is no evidence suggesting such a group exists.

Liberalism encompasses a wide array of ideas, but its supporters usually push for civil rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, free trade, private property, and free and fair elections.

Jakim regularly demonises liberalism in its Friday sermons, while deputy minister in charge of Islamic affairs Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki also said in November 2015 that the RM724.6 million set aside for Jakim last year was not sufficient to combat “extremist” ideologies, which had included liberalism.