Claims that have gone viral on Rohingya refugees seeking to marry Malaysian women to obtain permanent resident status in the country has a different side to the story emerging in Kelantan.
With no job security and their futures uncertain, several Rohingyas met by Malaysiakini in Kelantan revealed how being far away from their homeland did not stop them from saving up just to pay dowry to wed a Rohingya girl.
Generally, dowry is an amount of money, property or jewellery that a woman's parents give to the man she marries.
Now in his mid-30s, Rohingya refugee Martullah Abu Bakar Siddik said it has been a norm for men in their community to work hard to get married, even after moving to a different country.
"In recent years, dowry to be paid by the groom could reach up to RM10,000. That is the norm, and there are instances when the amount could reach RM15,000, RM20,000 and even up to RM25,000.
"This high dowry is because there are not many Rohingya girls here, compared to men," said Martullah.
The total amount, determined based on factors including costs and challenges faced when the girl arrives in Malaysia, is customarily paid in cash or in the form of jewellery.
In some cases, Martullah said, there were Rohingya girls brought to Malaysia as a future bride, and the dowry amount would be agreed upon by the groom and the bride's family, before her departure.
"My brother-in-law, for example, just got married in early March with a dowry of RM15,000.
"His wife just arrived in Malaysia around two weeks prior to their wedding," said Martullah, a scrap metal seller, when met in Kota Baru yesterday.
His brother-in-law, Shah Alam Goni Mia, 19 (above), is spending his honeymoon period with wife, Yasmin Abdul Kader, 18 (on the right).
The teenage couple wedded a week before the movement control order (MCO) was enforced and Shah Alam, who also works as scrap metal seller, said he had saved up for five years just for the occasion.
"Alhamdulillah, I finally got to marry Yasmin. My friends and my sister also helped me. I did not have enough to pay the RM15,000 dowry and they lent me some money.
"Before my wife came to Malaysia, I promised to give her RM15,000 dowry. When she arrived, we got married, not long after that," he said.
Following his wedding, Shah Alam said his younger sister is also preparing to get married, after the MCO is lifted, with her dowry set at RM20,000.
While unrecognised under Malaysian law due to their refugee status, married Rohingya couples will be issued with a marriage certificate from the Rohingya Ulama Association Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Jubair Mohamad Muzar, 24 (above), is counting down the days until his marriage to a Rohingya woman, after the MCO.
"My future wife arrived in Malaysia just before the MCO, and she did not make it in time to Kota Bharu.
"Now she's in Ipoh and I hope this Covid-19 crisis will soon be over so I can get married and work as normal," he said.
"I promise to give my future wife a dowry of RM15,000. InsyaAllah (God-willing) I have saved up the amount doing various jobs since five years ago," Mohamad Jubair said.
A recent spark of hate speech and threats against the Rohingya communities in the country has puzzled the authorities and Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday said police are investigating various viral news reports, videos and audio clips to prevent any untoward incident. - Mkini
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