Must Read Pusat Pembuangan Anak Al Tahfiz Al Madrasah Al Rumah Amal

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The revelations about that horrible case where the Islamic 'rumah amal' was teaching kids to sodomise other kids is only just beginning to come out. Many new questions are being asked. Why was no action taken for so long?  
I received a message very early this morning that the Mufti of Perlis had been highlighting this dubious outfit for quite sometime.  
1. Mangsa2 mengadu pada Mufti Perlis kemudian Mufti sampaikan pada org awam utk berhati-hati,
2. Mufti Perlis konsisten dlm ceramahnya mengkritik kumpulan ini dlm beberapa siri kuliahnya selama sebulan lebih.

So there were already various rumours and feedback among the public.
Then the IGP said that the Police had received multiple Police reports over the past year.  
So why was not any action taken much earlier?The IGP has said that "this is just the tip of the iceberg". 
The Star reported that the "police operation followed reports of child abandonment, sexual assault, molestation in Port Dickson".
Please note "child abandonment". In Malay it is "pembuangan anak". 
For decades now the sekolah tahfiz, madrasah, rumal amal type places have been mushrooming all over the country. A sizeable number offer full board and lodging for the children under their care. There are tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of young Malay children who are kept in these pusat tahfiz, madrasah type outfits.
The so called religious education is only part of what they offer. More importantly they offer cheap boarding for Malay parents to leave their children under the care of others.

There is a larger issue here.  
Parents who are finding it difficult to manage their families, those families where both parents work and cannot afford babysitters or have no extended family support, single parents especially single mothers who have to work and cannot take care of their kids, "broken homes" with multiple parentage, low income groups suffering unaffordable urban living conditions  these are the type of folks who end up "placing" their children in these relatively cheap, full board and lodging pusat tahfiz, madrasah, and rumah amal type outfits.Considering that ONE YEAR old and FIVE YEAR old tots were among the occupants rescued by the Police at that rumah amal (including those FIVE YEAR olds who were burnt with hot spoons) obviously they were far below school going age. This was a dumping ground for children. Pusat pembuangan anak. Hence the  "police operation followed reports of child abandonment".
For many of the pusat tahfiz, madrasah, rumah amal operators they cram in as many children as possible into rooms and premises. 20, 30, 40 children crammed into one room at nite is quite normal. They make more money. There have been too frequent fires and children burnt to death at these centers. It has been reported multiple times that these full board and lodging pusat tahfiz and madrasahs often fail the Bomba fire safety codes. 
And we do not know the type of food, the quality of food or the quantity of food fed to these children at all these centers.
And then there are the frequent cases of the sexual molestation, rape, sodomy, physical abuse, five year olds burnt with hot spoons etc.

Despite all these horrors and problems there is a growing demand for these low cost, full board and lodging pusat tahfiz and madrasahs all over the country. Decades ago a fellow I knew sent his kids to lodge at one of these madrasahs in a really ulu place. They had no electricity. I believe the kids tried to run away from the place. The father finally brought them home. But he sent his kids there out of religious convictions - he wanted his kids to get "religious training". Other parents 'abandon' their kids in such places because they cannot take care of their own kids.
Orang Melayu banyak masalah. This is just another one of the many masalah that the society has created for itself. 
And lets not forget those thousands of kids who are practically 'abandoned' at these centers who are suffering an enormous amount of mental and emotional distress. Then some of them get sexually molested and physically abused. Will they grow up to be well adjusted, model citizens of their society? 
Will this problem get solved? I do not think so. Why? Because who cares?Do the Malay people really care?
I think it will likely get worse. Things are already pretty screwed up.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.By Syed Akbar Ali 

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