“We have been consistent thus far where we have to look into foreign missionaries, because it is possible that they have belief systems that are not in line with the Malaysian context,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

“It is not just a question of religion, but also of national security.”

Mujahid, who said he welcomed the move, added that national security should always be prioritised as Malaysia is a multicultural and multiracial country.

“On behalf of Jakim (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) and the Prime Minister’s Department, we will extend as much assistance as possible in the matter.”

Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday that authorities would continue to vet foreign preachers, both Muslim and non-Muslim, to ensure that missionary groups entering the country are free from deviant teachings.

“Whoever comes here, regardless of the form of talks, will be monitored,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

The move was criticised earlier today by US academic Nader Hashemi and Muslim activist Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa, who questioned the Pakatan Harapan government’s commitment to democracy and intellectual freedom.

Hashemi, who heads the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver, said Muhyiddin was sending a message that the “New Malaysia is not very different from the old Malaysia under Najib Razak”.

Farouk, of the Islamic Renaissance Front, meanwhile said it showed that the old guard was still in control of government institutions such as Jakim.

“If the Islamic tradition of juristic scholarship is just monopolised by one school of thought, as what the government intends to do, this would be a gross injustice to the rich legal tradition in Islam,” he said.