SUBANG - "My name also starts with Ahmad, but I am not a terrorist," said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said this as an example that a person's name cannot be categorised as a terrorist, as an international report states that more than 98 per cent of the names on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents' watchlist consist of Muslim names.
According to him, the name Ahmad was chosen by his parents followed by Zahid as his full name.
Zahid said that he read an article published by an Islamic group in the United States (US) revealing that the majority of names on the FBI's watchlist were made up of Muslim names.
"What happened was a misinterpretation and just a prejudice.
"This what has led to names such as Muhammad or Ahmad being categorised as terrorists," he said.
He said this after launching the 23rd Asia Pacific Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy Associates (FBINAA) conference.
Also present were police chief Tan Sri Razarudin Husain @ Abd Rasid, The United States Ambassador to Malaysia Brian D McFeeters and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) International Operations Division assistant director Raymond P Duda.
He stressed that Malaysia appreciates the efforts of the US government to take the issue seriously because it involves the interests of all Muslims.
"The US policy is clear and transparent that there is no issue of prejudice against any race and religion.
"Therefore, we hope that the US embassy in this country can help solve this kind of issue," he said.
Earlier, Anadolu Agency released a reported titled 'Twenty Years Too Many, A Call to Stop the FBI's Secret Watchlist' detailing the FBI's use of a Terrorism Screening Database that allegedly target Muslims.
It was issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) last Monday.
According to reports, more than 350,000 names include some names such as Mohamed or Ali or Mahmoud with the 50 most frequently appearing names involving Muslim names.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid described the good relationship between Malaysian police and the FBI will strengthen the cooperation between Malaysia and the US to deal with current issues in the future.
He said that Malaysia is always at the forefront in ensuring a good cooperation at an international level especially in national security.
Zahid added that Malaysia does not only strengthen its relations with Asian countries to combat cross-border crime, but also maintains a good international cooperation with various foreign countries including the US.
"All this is done to ensure that efforts to combat international or cross-border crimes including human trafficking, drug trafficking, contraband crimes and terrorism can be overcome as best as possible.
"The good cooperation shown by Malaysian police and the FBI in organising today's event is expected to help solve the problems of crime at international levela besides overcoming the issue of extremism or terrorism," he said.