The detention of Azizul Raheem Awaluddin, a director of Tourism Malaysia in Sweden and his wife Shalwati Nurshal for reportedly hitting their 12-year old child for not praying is regrettable.
This is compounded with the reports that the couple has been detained for over one month while their four children have been transferred to a non-Muslim foster home.
The children have expressed their desire to be cared by a Muslim family in their meeting with the Malaysian Embassy and Swedish Social Services. The present foster family too supports their wishes. I appreciate the efforts made by the various parties in getting the approval for the relatives of the couple to meet the children.
It appears that this case stems from a cultural misunderstanding. We acknowledge the need of to respect the law of the land but at the same time the host country should also be sensitive and proportionate in its application of the law.
I hope this issue is resolved soon for the sake of all the parties involved.
