Bully Cases in Religious School and Traditional Madrasah

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

 Infamous madrasah or dumpster with rooms in huts, Yan district of Kedah. Students live like hermits unlike in SBP or MRSM, haha.

I had accidentally read news in MyMetro, though it's not my favorite paper as it has also many obscenities and ridiculous stuffs but this issue really caught my attention. First of all, I would like to express my sympathy to Mr. Muhammad Asymuni Ilyas who is injured in the pondok where he's studying since 10 years ago and to his family. According to the news, he has several injuries at his spine and heel. It is believed that he was pushed until he fell down from the first level of a building in the school compound. The man is also a person with different ability and it is a disgrace to treat him like that. Students there was said as lying to the family when being asked, they said that the student fell down himself. I wonder whether those students who had treated the student badly had been educated by their family well or they were sent there by parents as a dumpster? Kenapa jadikan sekolah agama dan pondok sebagai pusat pemulihan akhlak? Kenapa jadikannya sebagai tempat yang hina, saudara-saudari saya? 

My experience that made me feel deep sympathy to this guy and other students who were bullied is that last time, I had a fight with my dorm mate while I was schooled in Perlis private religious school. Nobody in the dorm helped me to stop the fight, and after that I was also condemned and boycotted for helping another unfortunate student who was boycotted by other student. After that I have the grudge to people of my own religion (Islam). I don't want to talk with them, I hate my dad and family for listening to elders sending me there and guess what happened later? When I returned to my grandpa house one day, I had coincidentally listened to Buddhism teaching by a guru aired by Southern Thai radio station and began to visit Buddhist temples, getting sai sin string tied at my wrist. From that time I slowly and silently learning the religion until I silently profess my faith in Gautama Buddha as my protector teacher, responsibility of dharmma, and monastic community when I was 15 in front of Buddha image that I kept as reminder that I was a Buddhist in my wallet. At 15, I had problem with school too, where my mum transferred me again into a religious type school but that one is registered in Selangor under JAIS supervision. I hate Muslim at my young time and it continues until I was 17 years old of age. I refused to bow down to the God, I didn't want to believe His existence, I hate to listen to people reciting Quranic verses and I mocked them because I didn't believe them to be 'true' since what I had seen had giving impact, it shaken the faith of a young kid... I failed my SPM and later I wanted to die and fasting like lord Buddha Gautama without any water nor food. Only after a point I began to realize and getting my awareness. And it start again with my pilgrimage to holy Mecca with mum. She cried a lot for me and wants everything better for me although her choice sometimes constraining me. She loves me, I know that and I guess that is why my sisters are envious to me too but I believe she loves everyone. Only she doesn't know how to express it. She's just like few Chinese or Vietnamese mothers yang cakap macam nak gaduh dengan orang although she's not a Chinese nor Vietnamese.

From the news report, the father of the injured and disabled man said that, nobody from school administration nor any student come to visit him. I am not in Alor Setar right now, but if I am there I would certainly visit him and asking him to pray for me and everybody for Guidance and Success. In my point of view, this is one of the thing that I regret in Malaysian society in general. The question posed here is, you people assume that religious education as dumpster, right? It has no value compared to science stream or any other 'critical' streams in school education system, right? You will send your useless, lazy to study kids, or kids who do not excel well in "academic" studies to those private dumpsters, right?

For village folks, perhaps religious school or madrasah is something for you to take pride on your offspring while you don't study yourselves and you didn't educate or placing emphasize about religious awareness on your child since their toddler time? So that, you may show off to other village folks like your relatives, neighbors or your friends? If in registered religious school, those who do not excel well would be sent to lowest class (shari'ah) and being offended with bad remarks even by teachers of other streams...

I wish Peaceful Saturday, Yomus-Sabt as-Salaam to brethren from the branch of sons of Jacob and Isaac and also to Samaritans, may you benefit from your Torah and scriptural studies. The Samaritans indeed were nobler than everyone else : (

Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy, and love, amin!