'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.