THE community near the tahfiz school in Kepong where the principal allegedly sodomised some of his own students is struggling to accept the reason for his arrest.

Students at the Darul As-Syabab tahfiz centre also do not believe the shocking news which has once again placed a tahfiz centre in the spotlight of public attention and the authorities.

The school’s management is now being quietly taken over by a nearby mosque.

The principal, a 30-year-old man who has been charged, is known to neighbours as a courteous man and nothing like the “lustful animal” the media made him out to be.

Residents around the Mutiara Magna Apartments near the school who knew the principal considered what they had read in the media was defamatory.

“For me, it’s hard to accept. I am not the only person who knows him, Kepong people here know him. He is active in the community, especially in religious matters.

“We are overwhelmed by what has happened. He has a good family background.

“We also feel sorry for the victims if it is true but if it is not, (then) you have slandered him,” a 60-year-old resident who only wanted to be known as Atok told The Malaysian Insight.

The mother of a student at the tahfiz school described the suspect as a caring man. The children called him “ustaz” (religious teacher).

“I do not believe in this allegation,” said Siti Aina Maulana, 34, who is also neighbours with the suspect’s parents.

The Malaysian Insight tried to speak to the management of the tahfiz centre but they refused to comment.

A source close to the management, however, said the centre would be taken over by the Amaniah Mosque, located about 5km from the row of shophouses where the school is located.

“At the moment there is no direction issued by the Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jawi) to take over Darul As-Syabab.

“The mosque only monitors and ensures the safety and welfare of the children,” said the source who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak.

The As-Syabab tahfiz centre is located on Level 2, Plaza Metro Prima, surrounded by several apartments and condominiums. The centre’s hostel is located on the ground floor of Block A, Magna Pearl Apartments, about 50m away from the school.

The surrounding neighbourhood is a bustling area with high vehicle traffic amid a variety of businesses including Chinese restaurants, vape retail outlets and massage parlours.

The hostel apartment for the tahfiz students also houses foreign workers from Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The suspect’s wife, who was also an assistant at the tahfiz centre, said the school had started operations since last November, using space within the mosque before moving to the shop early this year.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa, who visited the central tahfiz yesterday, confirmed that it had not been registered with the authorities.

The Malaysian Insight’s visit found safety to be lacking, with many wires seen dangling within the structure and with no emergency exit.

Meanwhile, some of the tahfiz students were also surprised by the news.

They said they had not heard of any student speaking ill or complaining about the behaviour of the principal.

They also did not know who among them were the alleged victims as their identities had been kept secret by the management. As of yesterday, seven of the nine allegedly sodomised students still continuing their classes.

“We know that the news is a week old, and we do not know why there are students who have not been back. Some have moved,” said Abdul Haziq Hamzani, 16.

On media reports that the tahfiz centre principal was alleged to have brought his victims to Bukit Bintang and Chow Kit to be sodomised, Haziq said the principal would usually bring students in a crowd.

Last week, the principal was charged in the Putrajaya sessions court with 11 counts under Section 14 of the Sex Offences Against Children Act.

The Malaysian Insight understands that the suspect out on bail and is currently in Kuala Lumpur but is not allowed within the tahfiz premises. – September 25, 2018.