“Gangster ustaz” slammed for ‘assaulting’ delinquent tahfiz school pupils with bike helmet

 

NECESSARY evil or going too far?

In a video clip that has gone viral, a purported ustaz at a tahfiz school in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah is seen corralling a group of youngsters outside a gaming arcade.

What has shocked the online community is the thuggish manner in which the punishment was meted out on the young rascals for apparently flouting the curfew as it was already past midnight.

He was caught on the gaming outlet’s CCTV landing kicks and repeated blows to the head of some 10 delinquent pupils with a helmet

Bear in mind that discipline in schools is currently a hot topic with a perceived breakdown in this area leading to a slew of unwanted incidents such as the shocking gang rape in a Melaka school.

Many called for a return to corporal punishment as a deterrent against anti-social and criminal behaviour festering in schools.

Such calls were backed by the police and even UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh who believed it was necessary to combat rising cases of bullying and violence in schools.

But was the punishment meted out by the ustaz in the video excessive? Well, the UMNO firebrand seems to think so as he called out the ustaz for sullying the image of the religion.

Posting on his Facebook page, the Merlimau state assemblyman declared that Islam does not teach its followers to engage in such conduct where “lessons” are delivered with such brute force.

The Melaka Rural Development, Agriculture and Food Security Committee chairman further urged the authorities to act against this errant ustaz by throwing the book at him.

Many commenters concurred with the 37-year-old medical practitioner who felt that the ustaz was undeserving of the title.

Others were simply shocked that the ustaz saw fit to rain blows onto the heads of his young charges with a crash helmet no less. Wasn’t he aware of the potential for severe injuries or was he so overcome by anger that he no longer cared?

One commenter even highlighted the danger of long-term brain damage from this beating.

Bearing in mind that there was plenty of outcry in the wake of the gang rape case in Melaka, many concerned citizens were clamouring for stiffer discipline in schools to bring misbehaving students into line.

Rightly or wrongly, that these boys were found loitering in a gaming centre past curfew would seem just like the sort that the public see as potential Mat Rempit (illegal racers), samseng (gangsters) and Mat Rogol (rapists).

Some were prepared to afford the benefit of the doubt to the enraged ustaz who probably has a tough job to do keeping these boys from straying.

Reacting to this episode, lawyer and human rights activist Siti Kasim has called upon parents of the children assaulted to sue the school and the teachers involved.

“If the school is under the government’s purview, the suit should also include the Religious Affairs Minister and relevant government departments,” added the Orang Asli advocate.

It has since been confirmed that the wayward ustaz has been picked up for questioning by the coppers and is being investigated under Section 324 of the Penal Code and Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.

The court of public opinion can be a difficult one to appease. On the one hand, there are calls for stiffer, stricter disciplinary measures in schools to curb anti-social and criminal behaviour.

On the other, such calls may lead to educators or guardians overstepping their boundaries, as this video quite clearly demonstrates.

Striking the correct balance can be an extremely difficult but one Malaysians must get right. –  Focus Malaysia