END ARIF MISERY...RETURN HIS PARENTS

SEVEN-YEAR old Arif has been waiting for 1,056 hours or 44 days to see his mummy  Shalwati Norshal and daddy Azizul Raheem Awaludin. Both his parents are under detention and expected to be brought before the court at 6pm (local time) today to determine whether they would be released or detained for another two weeks.

Both Shalwati and Azizul were under police custody from Dec 18 last year on suspicion of excessively disciplining their children at home. The act was considered a serious offence under Swedish law.

Arif often cried whenever he thought about his Mummy and had been pestering his older siblings to make arrangement to visit Malaysia  so that he could see his Mummy and Daddy. To the poor boy, he thought both of them were on tour of duty in Malaysia!

Families of the couple, relatives,neighbors, friends and sympathizers had been praying hard for Shalwati and Azizul unconditional release. They are innocent and had only exercised their rights as Muslims parents to educate the children.

SHALWATI IS MY AUNT AND PROUD OF IT...

Waking up in the middle of the night due to having a confusing dream in the form of a slide show regarding news articles of Miss Shal's case  gave me a pang of insomniac moment. 

I saw flashes of memory clips in my dream of growing up with her that made me realise how much I miss her. Seeing what people have been saying and writing about Miss Shal and her family gave birth to this mixed feeling of sadness and longing.

Before this, the distance had never taken a toll on our relationship for the family and her we can always communicate using multiple mediums. But now, it had left an empty space in our hearts that only can be filled after all this mayhem is settled. And we wished and pray hard for the day to come soonest. 

Tonight, in my dream I’ve seen a few flashbacks of Miss Shal. How she was always so independent with her little red car that she had used for so many years. That is Miss Shal, with her tagline of “ tok soh nyusoh...(no need to trouble anyone)” doing mostly everything on her own and excellent with it had always been so inspiring.   

 How I remember when I was young, waiting at my grandma’s door for the little red car to reach our kampung for Eidul Fitri had always been exciting. Reminiscing as a little kid, she combed my hair into a perfect ponytail and cute buns while giving me tips how to take good photos, saying that we the family have photogenic genes. That is Miss Shal, always known for her wits, filling the family’s kitchen with her cheeky smile and laughter while always being the wise head among other siblings in a family quarrel. 

Miss Shal might be portrait as a strict person on some cases but you can always expect her to see things from a different angle during  discussions and always so understanding and very comforting to be around with. Those traits of her make her an excellent school teacher. I can bet that there have been so many girls came and sought her advise and guidance in life abd I am one of them.

I remember my childhood days where I spent my holidays staying at her place even before she had her own family, where we talked about mostly everything, how she perfected my tajwid for my daily prayers, reading the Quran after prayers and free English lessons at night before we settle for our sleep. That had been the ritual slumber party for the nieces. Yes, she is my aunt and I am proud of her. 

She is a great mom and raised her kids well. How do I know this? Her kids are the most pleasant bunch of kids you have ever met. They conversed well, polite and ever so humble. Her 1^st born, Aisyah, inherit her mom’s wits and matured way beyond her age. The other 3 boys were a normal bunch of generation Y kids where they loved their gadgets and video games and yet still squeak and gush over babies and baby animals.

 They were always so helpful and fun to be with and if you were driving them around, their mom will ask them to recite the  Ayatul Qursi and few more Quranic verses to ease the journey. These kids were fun, loving and passionate kids as they were raised well by their parents.

Now, the situation had taken away their smile and put them in a very dark moment in their life and I am sure that they had been traumatised by what is happening and I wonder if it will leave an ugly scar and will it ever heal. Praying for the best and praying hard for it. I am sure that Miss Shal and her family would do the same if we were in their shoes.

--AKQMIE

Swedish Authorities Interview Several Malaysian Muslim Families

BERNAMA/23JAN2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 (Bernama) - Swedish authorities have interviewed several Malaysian Muslim families to accommodate four siblings, currently under the care of a non-Muslim family after their parents were detained.

"The choice of which Malaysian Muslim family is qualified to care for the four siblings will be made soon," said a Foreign Ministry officer when contacted by Bernama Thursday.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Volunteer Lawyers Association (SukaGuam) chairman Datuk Khairul Anwar Rahman said the transfer of the four siblings to a new foster family is expected to be completed within a week.

"The Swedish authorities have given undertaking that the four siblings will be handed over to a Muslim foster family to care for their welfare," he added.

Khairul Anwar is serving as mediator to help the transfer of the four siblings aged 7, 11, 12 and 14 years from a non-Muslim family to a Muslim family.

Their parents, Azizul Raheem Awalludin and Shalwati Nurshal were detained by Swedish police on December 18 last year for allegedly beating them for not praying.

Azizul is the Director of Tourism Malaysia based in Stockholm while his wife Shalwati is a teacher on unpaid leave in Sweden.

No charges have been brought against Azizul and Shalwati and their remand period has been extended two weeks.

Khairul Anwar said SukaGuam would monitor the situation and if nothing happened, he would leave for Sweden with Umno Youth next week.

Earlier, media reports said SukaGuam and Umno Youth would leave for Sweden soon to assist in the tranfer of the four siblings to a Muslim family so that they can live as Muslims.

DEAR CHILDREN OF AZIZUL AND SHALWATI

AISYAH, Ammar, Adam and Arif,

  Please accept the deepest love from your Grandparents, Uncles, Aunties and Cousins in Malaysia. All of us are sad as to what had happened to all of you. 

  In our prayers, we appealed to Allah The All Mighty and His Messenger to quickly end your predicament. All four of you are innocent and should not be made to endure such a painful experience. 

  Indeed, the unusual strength and patience shown by the four of you in managing the situation put some of us to shame.  all of you put up a brave front in public but we know how you all truly feel.

  Rest assured children that you are not alone. Your family here, Malaysians from all walks of life, international communities share your pain too. We will continue to galvanise support to the whole world if it need be to unite the four of you with your parents once more.

  No nation can go against the will of the world community. And no nation should be allowed to destroy the joy and happiness of a family. After all "To err is human and to forgive divine". Mistakes do happen but bigger mistakes should not be allowed to happen. Separating parents from their children is a bigger mistake.

  We want you to enjoy the gifts we bought for you. They will arrive in Stockholm soon. We hope the gifts would soften the pain. Hopefully they would be delivered to all of you soon. To our friends thank you for the prayers and kind words. We are totally indebted to all who assisted and share our pains.

for Ariff

For Aisyah

For kids -- Aisyah, Ammar, Adam, Ariff

Diplomatic Efforts Sufficient To Help Malaysian Couple - Anifah

BERNAMA/22JAN2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Embassy in Sweden has taken sufficient diplomatic efforts to assist a Malaysian couple detained by Swedish authorities for allegedly hitting one of their four children on the hand for not praying. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said: 

"We respect Swedish laws and do not want to make matters worse...rest assured, we are doing everything we can to help the family."Officers from the Malaysian Embassy have met with the children and their parents. We are doing everything we can to help solve the matter. 

"The main priority is the wellbeing of the children involved. "He said this after meeting with Turkmenistan Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov at the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations here today.The couple, Azizul Raheem Awalludin and his wife, Shalwati Norshal, a teacher on unpaid leave, have been remanded since Dec 18, to facilitate investigations for allegedly hitting their child on the hand for not praying.

The four children are currently staying with a foster family provided by Sweden's state social service.

Tak Tinggal solat Lima Waktu

HARIAN METRO 23/1/2014

Kuala Lumpur: “Kami semua sihat, tidak sakit. Saya baca Yasin dan dengar surah lain menerusi YouTube,” kata Aisyah, 14, anak kepada pasangan Azizul Raheem Awalludin dan Shalwati Norshal yang ditahan pihak berkuasa Sweden sejak 18 Disember lalu.

Menerusi perbualan media sosial bersama saudara terdekatnya, di sini, awal pagi semalam, anak sulung daripada empat beradik itu turut memaklumkan mereka masih menunaikan solat lima waktu biarpun berjauhan dengan ibu bapanya.

Menurut ahli keluarga yang enggan dikenali itu, Aisyah memaklumkan, adik lelakinya itu turut menyatakan rasa menyesal atas apa yang berlaku selepas ibu dan bapa mereka ditahan atas tuduhan mendera.

“Walaupun tidak menunjukkan reaksi rasa kesal di hadapan rakannya, tetapi dari perbualan kami dia memang menyesal apa yang berlaku,” katanya dalam perbualan itu.

Kenyataan itu menjawab persoalan banyak pihak yang bimbang jika keempat-empat mereka tidak dapat menjalankan kewajipan sebagai seorang Islam selepas dijaga keluarga angkat bukan Islam di negara itu.

Kisah pasangan suami isteri dan empat anak berkenaan mendapat perhatian banyak pihak di negara ini yang meminta agar inisiatif tertentu diambil untuk membawa pulang mereka ke negara ini atau dibenarkan untuk tinggal bersama keluarga Muslim di sana.

Kelmarin, Duta Besar Malaysia ke Sweden Datuk Badruddin Ab Rahman menerusi perbualan bersama Pengerusi Biro Aduan Komuniti Pemuda UMNO memaklumkan pihaknya sedang berusaha untuk membela nasib keluarga itu, namun pada masa sama berharap semua pihak di Malaysia bertenang.

Ia susulan beberapa badan bukan kerajaan termasuk Gabungan NGO Melayu/Islam yang menghantar memorandum kepada Kedutaan Sweden di ibu negara meminta mereka dijaga keluarga Muslim.

Sementara itu, EXCO Pemuda UMNO Sheikh Nafiq Alfirdaous berkata, pihaknya akan memantau perkembangan kes berkenaan secara dekat dan memaklumkan kepada masyarakat sekiranya ada perkembangan terbaru.

“Kami mahu ia ditangani tanpa implikasi perundangan. Setakat ini, kita yakin ia boleh diselesaikan kerana ia bukan kes jenayah," katanya. 

Akhbar ini melaporkan ahli keluarga terdekat menyerahkan kes berkenaan kepada kerajaan untuk membantu biarpun mendapat pelawaan pelbagai pihak yang ingin membantu termasuk daripada beberapa pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO). 

Let Them Go Sweden

“We want the world to know they did no wrong and do not deserve to be detained for loving their children,” said families of Azizul Abdul Raheem and his wife Shalwati Norshal as to why they set up this blog.

They argued that parents who truly love their children would exercise some form of discipline on their children so that they grow up knowing the difference between good and bad.

In this case, Azizul and Shalwati are no different. While they discipline their children, they did not subscribe to inflicting severe corporal punishment on them. They never did. They love their children too much.

Hence, the families of both Azizul and Shalwati felt most hurt when the word “alleged abuse” was used by the media to describe why the couple was detained by the Swedish police over a month now.

They were a happy family, were often seen travelling together, collecting berries in the woods during the summer weekends.  They love to travel across Europe and the families here were often showered with pictures of their trips.

When they came home for holidays in Malaysia, the scenes at the grandmother’s house were often chaotic. Everyday were full of laughter, screams and games. Barbeque and karaoke were a must. Parents and children took turn on the microphones singing their heart out.

Certainly, these are not signs of tyrannical parents out to abuse their children.

Indeed the messages put up by the children in their Facebook lately clearly show how much they missed their parents.  Why would the children be missing their parents, if the were tyrants.

'Culture Clash' In Swedish Case

NST/18jan14
MALAYSIAN COUPLE DETAINED: Authorities should have placed kids with a Muslim foster family, says relative

#swedenletthemgo

KUALA LUMPUR: A FAMILY member of a Malaysian couple who were arrested by the Swedish police for allegedly disciplining their child who refused to pray, is hoping the authorities there will be more sensitive when handling the case.

He said the case was a classic one, involving a clash of cultures, with the Swedish authorities and social service failing to look into the religious and cultural aspects of the children, who have since been placed in foster care.

"They (the children) should have been placed in the care of a Muslim family," he told the New Straits Times yesterday. He said the authorities should have consulted the Malaysian embassy there and looked for a Malaysian family to care for the children while the parents were in detention. According to sources, the couple were detained by Swedish authorities in Stockholm last December, after a report was made by one of their children to a teacher, who consequently reported them to the Swedish police.

In Sweden, the law states that "a child may not be subjected to physical punishment or other injurious or humiliating treatment". However, in Malaysia, there is a clearer understanding between spanking as a corrective tool for children and physical abuse. It is learnt the couple appeared in court on Thursday and their remand period has been extended for another two weeks.

The husband is an employee of Tourism Malaysia while the wife is a secondary school teacher, who is on unpaid leave. The Tourism and Culture Ministry is believed to have sent a representative to assist the couple. The couple's children are in the care of the Swedish social welfare authorities and were reported to be unhappy living in the home of a non-Muslim foster family. The eldest of the four, who only wished to be known as Aisyah, 14, said she and her three brothers, aged 12, 11 and 7, had been staying with the foster family, as arranged by Swedish social services after their parents were detained on Dec 18. 

Aisyah said they were not happy staying at the foster home, as the family kept a dog. "They also eat food that is not halal. Although they do not feed us non-halal food, we share the crockery and kitchen utensils." Aisyah said they were not allowed to meet relatives from Malaysia, nor were they allowed to meet with their parents. She said a week after their parents' arrest, their relatives from Malaysia visited Sweden to meet her and her brothers, but were not allowed to do so by Swedish authorities.

The couple's second child, Ammar, said they wanted to return to Malaysia as they could not stand living with strangers.

"I miss mummy and daddy.

"We want to go back to Malaysia, but they won't let us.

"We are sad each time we come back from school, as our parents are not around.

"Before this, mummy and daddy would send and fetch us from school.

"Now, we have to go by public transport ourselves.

"Our youngest brother cries every day because he misses mummy and daddy," he said.

Tidak Selesa Bersama Keluarga Angkat

Bernama/17Jan14

KUALA LUMPUR, 17 Jan (Bernama) -- Empat anak pasangan warga Malaysia, yang ditahan polis Sweden setelah didakwa memukul mereka kerana enggan bersolat, menyatakan rasa tidak selesa tinggal bersama keluarga angkat berlainan agama di negara itu.

Anak sulung pasangan itu yang mahu dikenali sebagai Aisyah, 14, berkata beliau dan tiga adik lelakinya yang berusia tujuh, 11 dan 12 tahun ditempatkan bersama keluarga angkat yang disediakan pihak khidmat sosial negara itu sejak ibu bapa mereka ditahan pada 18 Dis lepas.

Aisyah berkata mereka tidak gembira dengan keadaan di dalam rumah berkenaan.

"Kami tidak gembira tinggal dengan keluarga angkat sebab keluarga ini pelihara anjing.

"Keluarga angkat makan makanan tidak halal. Walaupun kami tidak diberi makanan itu tetapi kami berkongsi pinggan mangkuk yang sama," katanya kepada BERNAMA ketika dihubungi, Jumaat.

Aisyah berkata mereka juga berulang kali menyatakan hasrat pulang ke Malaysia secepat mungkin namun tidak dibenarkan pihak khidmat sosial.

Katanya, mereka juga tidak dibenarkan bertemu ibu bapa dan anggota keluarga dari Malaysia.

Menurutnya, seminggu selepas penahanan ibu bapa mereka, keluarga dari Malaysia datang untuk bertemu dengan mereka namun tidak dibenarkan oleh pihak berkuasa Sweden.

Anak kedua yang mahu dikenali sebagai Ammar pula berkata mereka mahu pulang ke Malaysia secepat mungkin kerana tidak tahan tinggal dengan keluarga angkat itu.

"Kami rindukan mummy dan daddy. Kami nak balik Malaysia tapi mereka tidak benarkan. Kami sedih, setiap kali balik sekolah mummy dan daddy tiada.

"Sebelum ini, mummy dan daddy hantar dan ambil kami di sekolah. Sekarang terpaksa naik kenderaan awam sendiri. Adik bongsu pun menangis setiap hari sebab rindukan mummy dan daddy," katanya. 

Tahanan reman pasangan suami isteri itu, yang dipercayai kakitangan Tourism Malaysia di Stockholm dan guru yang bercuti tanpa gaji, dilanjutkan dua minggu lagi bagi membantu siasatan.

We want to go home... We miss our parents.... We want this to end...
We want to see them... — feeling sad.

#SWEDENLETTHEMGO

THEY were a happy family. Fun and laughter usually rang loudly in their home tuck on the outskirt of Stockholm, Sweden for almost three years. However, on the 17 December 2013, the sound of fun and laughter died. Love left the house.                        

The family were cruelly broken apart. Daddy Azizul Abdul Raheem and Mummy Shalwati Norshal were whisked away by stern looking darkly dressed plainclothes policemen  of the Swedish police force. Mummy and Daddy were then separated and placed under police custody since then.                                                                             

Seven-year old Arif and his 10-year old brother Adam were quickly taken away by the Social Service from the school in the morning of that same day. In the afternoon 11-year old Ammar and 14-year old Aisyah were escorted by the social workers out of the school compound. 

The social service quickly applied and were granted permission by the court of Sweden to relocate the four children to a Swedish family of a Serbian origin. The foster mother was a lawyer and her husband, a film producer were given the temporary custody of the children.

FORGIVE THEM AND LET THEM LOVE AGAIN

 

#swedenletthemgo

Since then the children have lost the will to laugh and are feeling dejected most of the time. They complained about the difficulties they faced staying with strangers of different religious belief. Though the foster parents were decent to them, their lifestyle were totally alien to these poor hapless children of Azizul and Shalwati.                                      

Hence, the children cried for help through the Facebook. They wanted to go back to their beloved Malaysia or at least allow them to stay a Muslim family temporarily before they are once again united with their parents.                  

All these happened because of an alleged smacking and scolding by one of the parents on the young son for not performing his prayer. However, the school where the boy studied look upon the alleged act as something absolutely serious and reported it to the Social Service when they obtained information from the boy as to what had happened to him.             

Looks like in the process to safeguard the interest and well being of the children, the Social Service now seems to cause greater  pain  to both parties - the parents and their children.