When I read the unexpected news that the man responsible for caning the children and also inflicting other physical punishment on them, I took my prayer ablution and performed the Sujud Syukur or the Prostration of Gratitude to God for the quick action of the police and the religious department in making justice meaningful.

When I received the video clips of the children crying in agony being mercilessly punished by the same man, I did not have the heart to watch the video in its entirety.

I knew my blood pressure would shoot up and that I may not sleep soundly for many nights.

The case of the GISBH is said to have many wrong doings from the perspective of the religious authorities.

I read that some of the accusation involves aspect of ‘aqidah’ or religious waywardness in Islam, crimes of sodomy on children, tax evasion and practising business without compensating workers.

There are also other accusations involving women, sex and marriages.

Frankly speaking, I was not too concerned about most of the accusations and I hope all of them will be addressed appropriately and in due time.

However, the thing that I am most affected by is the fate and plight of the children.

I have heard of the Al-Arqam before. They originated and flowered during my time of adulthood, marriage and fatherhood.

I always loved their Nasyid and always buy their newspaper sold by young boys wearing jubah and turban looking nice, earnest and professional.

I attended the concerts featuring the great Nasyid singers of the Nadamurni, the king of the music genre. Their songs still move me very much.

I have never been to Sungai Penchala, the group’s settlement and headquarters. I never thought of joining the group but I respected those of my friends who did, like I respect those with the ABIM, JIM, PAS and the Tabligh.

I had heard whispers of the kinds of marriages engaged by the group. As these were consenting adults, I did not think much of it because polygamy and other kinds of marriage arrangements between Muslims were something I came across during my days in the US among the Malay students.

There was the ‘contract marriage’ concept for short-term sexual relationship that does not involve any pregnancy or bearing children.

So, I was not concerned because as adult Muslims and being intelligent, your life is your own.

I also heard of the economic system of the Arqam group where everyone worked for the welfare of the group and the leadership willingly, lovingly and faithfully.

I heard that these people were minimally compensated but all aspects of life such as food and shelter were taken care of.

These were a new concept to me although I was aware of the idea of commune living even as diverse and sustainable as Israel’s Kibbutz or the Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi.

The new thing that I was not aware of was the way children seem to be treated.

It is the first time for me to hear that orphanages were created and managed for children that have existing parents!

The idea of an orphanage with living parents still in this life was a shock to me.

The rule of a husband is the trust to care for a wife, who is someone’s child.

A Muslim husband must never destroy the trust placed by Allah and her parents in the sense of her well-being in all aspects.

The rule of fatherhood is the trust of God on the children the couple bears.

The idea of having sex and putting up the children after weaning to an orphanage for slave labour was entirely new to me.

Beating children on video was another new thing also.

I am most happy to see that the Ministry of Education has stepped in and I am sure the Ministry of Higher Education and others will step in to help the children.

For the teenagers, I think they can go through life with a dormitory instruction of a group of caring wardens. But for children of three, four, five, six until 11 years, who bears the responsibility of nurturing them?

How would discovering the real parents who gave them up willingly help these children who never knew the love of a parent?

Who bears this role of nurturing these unfortunate children?

The GISBH was around for 20 years. Who bears the sin of delaying justice and ‘ambil ringan’ attitude about these children?

I think all Muslim families with no children or grown-up children and those with only one child can step up to help.

I propose a list of volunteer surrogate families be made for these unfortunate children of GISBH.

My wife and I will be the first to volunteer for children age between 4 to 11 years as we are 62 years of age.

Younger Muslim couples should step up to be families for the younger ones.

The program could start with spending several weekends until a choice be made for a permanent situation of temporary adoption or a full adoption.

Why must we step up as Muslims? The children are the trust that Allah placed on Muslims in Verse 177 of Surah Al-Baqarah.

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakah; [those who] fulfil their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.

Furthermore, the Prophet Muhammad had said that he and the one who takes care of the orphans will be the closest ‘companion’ to him in the Day of Judgement.

This is what we, as a nation, owe to our ward, the children abused by the GISBH.

(Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at a local university and his writing reflects his own personal opinion entirely.)