Looking down on migrant workers not part of Islam, says Shahril

 

‘Keluar Sekejap’ co-hosts Khairy Jamaluddin (left) and Shahril Hamdan said migrant workers deserve better treatment. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: The mistreatment and demeaning of migrant workers is against the principles of Islamic teachings, says a former Umno information chief.

Shahril Hamdan, who was commenting on the prejudicial reaction by some Malays towards migrant workers following a large immigration raid last month, said Malays should take a more humanitarian stance.

“Sometimes, I see Malay-Muslims, when they speak about migrants, including Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan or even Rohingya, they give them all sorts of labels.

“They are apparently ‘not good’, ‘troublesome’, and are ‘not on the same level’ as us… Our religion never taught us this,” he said in the latest episode of the “Keluar Sekejap” podcast this evening.

Shahril said the migrants did not have a choice to be born in countries suffering from strife, forcing them to seek a better life elsewhere.

“They don’t get to choose their country of birth, but (it’s) set by Allah. (They are) born in countries with conflict, strife, and where their chance of getting sustenance might not be as good as ours. It is the luck of the draw, it’s fate,” he said.

He said he would not feel “less Malay, less Malaysian or less Muslim” if he were to take a humanitarian stance on migrants.

“I think if we want to be ‘over’, let us be ‘over’ in terms of humanity. We should not be overly stern until we mistreat other humans, who are also Allah’s servants,” he said.

Shahril and podcast co-host Khairy Jamaluddin were earlier talking about migrant workers who were tricked into coming to Malaysia thinking there were jobs for them.

The issue has been in the spotlight since 171 Bangladeshis were arrested in Pengerang, Johor, last month, when marching to file a police report after claiming they were deceived into paying high recruitment fees back home for non-existent jobs in Malaysia.

At a press conference on Tuesday, human resources minister Steven Sim said the 171 were part of a larger group of 751 Bangladeshis who were tricked into going to Pengerang after thinking they had jobs waiting for them.

They have since filed a RM2.21 million claim for unpaid wages from their employers, with their case set to be heard at the Pengerang district labour office on Feb 5.

“They cannot be treated like (this),” said Khairy.

“More employers should be reprimanded, and there should be (stricter) enforcement so the workers’ welfare is well taken care of.” - FMT