High Court Judicial Commissioner Nordin Hassan meted out the sentence after Fauzee Ahmad (pic), 48, pleaded guilty Tuesday.
"I don't want the youth in Malaysia to be influenced by your actions and leave their families and responsibilities here to fight a religious war," JC Nordin told Fauzee.
"So the court has a duty not just to hand down a sentence but also to send a message to individuals to make sure they do not commit the same crime."
He added that militants had become a global issue and will destroy the stability and peace of our country and create chaos.
"We don't want to see terrorist stepping into our country."
JC Nordin ordered the sentence to run from the day of Fauzee's arrest on Oct 27, 2014.
Fauzee was calm when the sentence was handed out to him for taking part in terrorist activities involving firearms and explosives in Syria between June 29 and Sept 18, 2014.
His actions were seen to be advancing a religious struggle that endangered the lives of Syrian citizens.
He was charged under Section 130J(1)(b) of the Penal Code for knowingly entering Syria and giving support to a terrorist cause.
Fauzee's lawyer Eric Paulsen in pleading for leniency asked for a sentence between five to nine years in prison.
He said that Fauzee had a wife and six children, three of whom are still in school.
Paulsen added that his client went to Syria as an artist with the intention to paint the chaos and cruelty caused by the regime there over the Syrian people and was misguided into taking part in the fight there.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mustaffa P. Kunyalam sought a prison sentence that is proportionate to the facts of the case and asked for not less than 10 years jail time.
Mustaffa added that the court must take judicial notice that there has been an increase in terrorist related cases with the expansion of Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups.
He added that public interest, which was more important than the interest of the accused, must be taken into account in the case.
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