School: 'Abuse' is not what happened to Thaqif

Abuse is not the right word to describe what happened to Mohamad Thaqif Mohd Gaddafi, 11, who succumbed to injuries last week, administrators of the tahfiz school he attended said.

Madrasah Tahfiz Al-Jauhar (MTAJ) also said there was no reason for Mohamad Thaqif, who was only at the school for 57 days, to be singled out for abuse.

"MTAJ actually need not entertain netizens who have too many preconceptions, and of which 97 percent of them have never dealt with MTAJ before and are only speaking and writing based on their perceptions and the played-up sentiments.

"The word abuse itself may not be accurate to describe the real situation.

"Why was Thaqif (photo) singled out for abuse when he was only 11, a small child without problems who was only at MTAJ for 57 days, when MTAJ has more than 80 students who have been here for a year, who are more problematic in terms of discipline and conduct?" the school asked in a Facebook post.

MTAJ added that the school never allowed the use of rubber hose to hit children with disciplinary problems, and that Islam has clear guidelines of how to punish children.

As such, it said, the assistant warden's decision to do so cannot be used to attack Islam or other tahfiz schools.

The assistant warden, who served jail time for theft before he was employed, has been arrested and is being investigated for murder.

In an earlier posting, MTAJ said it is equipped with 24 hours CCTV surveillance and the recordings have been surrendered to police.

Mohamad Thaqif died after having both legs amputated due to bacterial infection. His right arm was necrotic while a blood clot was found on his left shoulder.

Family suspects abuse at school

The family said they suspect abuse at the school and believe other students are subjected to the same.

The case sparked public outcry, prompting the government to look into mandatory registration for all tahfiz schools.

Tahfiz schools are privately-run residential Islamic educational institutions, where students mostly learn to memorise the Quran.

Those registered with the state Religious Affairs Departments can receive aid from the state.

The investigation by the Johor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIJ) showed that MTAJ did not breach regulations, but police investigations are still underway.

Meanwhile, MTAJ questioned the critical netizens if they know what had transpired in discussions with the boy's family, before making demands that MTAJ apologises.

"We will heed the suggestions made but we apologise to netizens for being unable to answer all their queries," it said.

In an earlier posting, MTAJ said its 17 staff members, including support staff, would not allow prolonged abuse against any of the 109 students.

The school was registered with JAIJ five years ago, while its premises are approved by the Health Department and Fire and Rescue Department, it said.

The school was recognised as an excellent tahfiz school in the Kota Tinggi district and was nominated for the Anugerah Madrasah Tahfiz Cemerlang Johor award, under JAIJ.

"This school is not registered under the Education Ministry as this is not required, but MTAJ is happy to do so if it can improve our systems," it said.- Mkini