KMU Malaysia became a target of doxing, death threats, and offline intimidation from far-right extremist actors due to its Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue for Youth (IIDY) programme, which fostered dialogue between youth and Christian and Muslim minority communities.

These threats forced some programme participants and organisation members into trauma, forced counseling, and even temporary relocation overseas. The situation worsened with the politicisation of race and religion in the lead-up to Malaysia’s 14th General Election (GE14), where other human rights defenders also faced similar hostility.

In response, KMU Malaysia re-strategised, reducing high-risk faith-based engagements in Malaysia’s highly regulated religious environment and shifting its focus towards policy research and advocacy as a more strategic and impactful approach.