Tag: children

13 Year Old Adik Greatest Wish? To Break Fast With His Mother

Ahmad is like many other 13-year-olds.

He is bold, boisterous and is optimistic in a way only a young person can be.

But his greatest wish is to break fast with his mother.

For the second year in a row, he is spending Ramadan away from her.

It is only when this subject was raised that we saw a change in the boy.

“I’m quite jealous when I see some of the residents go out and break their fast with their family members,” Ahmad told The New Paper, with notable sadness.

Ahmad (not his real name) has spent more than a year at Pertapis Children’s Home.

According to Mr Sophian Kayat, the head of the home, Ahmad and his older brother were placed in the home’s care in March last year after a court order to protect them.

Their mother had been abused by Ahmad’s stepfather.

She stays in a separate welfare home.

“

I’m quite jealous when I see some of the residents go out and break their fast with their family members.

— Ahmad

When Ahmad was first admitted to the home, he understood why he was being separated from his mother, but it was still hard.

“Ahmad is close to his mother so when he was first admitted here, he was moody and easily agitated,” said Ahmad’s case manager, Miss Hamidah Otheman, 25.

“It took him three to four months before he was able to deal with his emotions and settle into life in the welfare home,” she added.

Ahmad described last year’s fasting month: “I was very sad because it was the first time that I was fasting away from my mother.

“This year, it’s better because I’m already used to it and I have friends here.”

BREAKING FAST: Ahmad breaking fast with donors. The donors had sponsored the food that day.

When TNP visited the home in Kovan, Ahmad was having his school holidays.

He and the other children at the home clamoured to play games during their morning break.

During the school holidays, the children are allowed to play from 7.30am to 9am.

He loves to play football. The home has a small field — about a quarter the size of a normal football field.

“I support Chelsea and Fernando Torres is my favourite player,” he shared between kicks towards an old goalpost.

OBSERVING: A young resident at the home looking on as Ahmad and his friends play football.

Even though Ahmad is away from his mother, but he does not complain about the home.

In fact, he credits the home for helping him to get through the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), which he took last year.

“The tuition and the support programmes that they have helped to push my grades up and I was able to pass my PSLE,” he said.

PRACTICE: Ahmad practicing the worksheets which were given to him by the home.

“I want to study hard and get into polytechnic and study aerospace engineering,” said the secondary school student.

“I heard that there are a lot of jobs as an aerospace engineer.”

This is more than personal ambition. He wants to be able to give back to the welfare home.

“Maybe in the future, I can sponsor an event for them or maybe make an activity programme for them,” he said.

“

Ahmad is close to his mother, so when he was first admitted here, he was moody and was easily agitated.

— Miss Hamidah Otheman, Ahmad’s case manager at Pertapis

But for now, all he wants is to be reunited with his mother.

According to Mr Sophian, Ahmad’s wish may be granted in the near future.

He says that the next stage for Ahmad is to spend and extended home leave with his mother.

“So long as safety is not compromised, we should be heading towards reunification.”

Source: www.tnp.sg

July 1, 2016
Father Of Abused Toddler, Daniel: I Never Got To See My Son Alive

He was in prison when his son was born.

Day after day, he counted down the days to when he could hold his boy in his arms.

But when Mr Mohamad Nasser Abdul Gani could finally do that, it was too late.

The only time he got to hold Mohamad Daniel Mohamad Nasser was when he was about to bury him.

His son died on Nov 23 last year, about a month before his third birthday, after 25 days of sustained abuse by his mother, Zaidah, 41, and her live-in boyfriend, Zaini Jamari, 46.

Choking back tears, Mr Nasser, 41, told The New Paper yesterday: “I never got to see him alive.

“The only time I held him in my arms, he was a lifeless corpse.”

Mr Mohamad Nasser Abdul Gani. TNP PHOTO: JEREMY LONG

He said he had spent 18 months behind bars from December 2012 to June 2014 for drug-related offences.

Two months before he went in, Mr Nasser was informed by Zaidah, whom he had married in Batam and later divorced, that she was pregnant with his child.

A few weeks into his sentence, Mr Nasser said an officer asked him to sign a document, which informed him that he was the father to a boy named Daniel.

This gave him something to look forward to after serving his time.

“I told myself that I would find my son after I got out,” said Mr Nasser, who works as a cleaner.

LONG SEARCH

But after his release, he found out that Zaidah was no longer living at her old address.

Making it his top priority to find Daniel, Mr Nasser reached out to Zaidah’s friends, tried all possible phone numbers he could think of and even visited places he thought she might frequent.

A year of searching yielded no results. None of his friends or acquaintances knew where Zaidah and Daniel were.

Mohamad Daniel Mohamad Nasser died about a month before his third birthday. PHOTO: ABDU MANAF AL ANSARI

Frustrated by each failed attempt to find his boy, he started losing hope of ever meeting Daniel.

Mr Nasser, who has two older children from a previous marriage, said: “I was not even given a chance to meet my own son.

“I did everything I could, but they could not be found anywhere. I thought that I would never see or hear about Daniel ever again.”

About five months later, on the evening of Nov 26 last year, he finally got news about his son. It was a call from a police officer, who asked if he had a son named Daniel.

Mr Nasser excitedly said yes, thinking that after more than two years, they would finally get to meet. But what he thought was good news brought his world crashing down.

The officer told him the heartbreaking news that Daniel had died after being abused.

“I did not even get to see Daniel alive, and now they called me to identify his dead body,” Mr Nasser said.

Putting aside his anguish, Mr Nasser went to the mortuary the next day and saw his son for the first time.

It left him in tears.

CUTS AND BRUISES

“There were cuts and bruises everywhere on his tiny body,” he said.

“It broke my heart to look at him, my own flesh and blood, knowing that he had been hurt and tortured so badly.”

Mr Nasser collected Daniel’s body on Nov 30.

It was to be the first and last day that he would get to hold his son.

That same afternoon, he and seven of his family members buried Daniel.

Mr Mohamad Nasser Abdul Gani (extreme right) with his family members at the burial site of his son. PHOTO: ABDU MANAF AL ANSARI

His brother, Mr Abdu Manaf Al Ansari, said that though they did not get to know Daniel, the family loved him and wanted to make sure he was given the proper last rites.

“We are the paternal side that Daniel could have grown up with,” he told The New Paper.

“Daniel was not an outcast, not from a broken family. He had a good family, only that he was denied true love from us.”

Asked what he would have told his son if he were still alive, Mr Nasser broke down before saying he would have promised Daniel that he would be the best father possible.

“He was my own son, I did not get to do anything for him, did not get to hold him, or tell him that I love him,” he said.

“I would have given anything for the opportunity to take care of him.”

I did not even get to see Daniel alive, and now they called me to identify his dead body.

– Mr Mohamad Nasser Abdul Gani

We are the paternal side that Daniel could have grown up with. Daniel was not an outcast, not from a broken family. He had a good family, only that he was denied true love from us.

– Daniel’s uncle, Mr Abdu Manaf Al Ansari

ABOUT THE CASE

Mohamad Daniel Mohamad Nasser, who died about a month short of his third birthday, was abused for 25 days over a 35-day period.

During that time, he was kicked and slapped almost every day by his pregnant mother and her boyfriend.

Cleaners Zaidah, 41, and Zaini Jamari, 46, also made Daniel stand with his hands on his head while wearing only a diaper as punishment.

They also forced him to eat spoonfuls of dried chilli.

He was found motionless on Nov 23, 2015, the morning after he fell and hit his head on the floor when Zaini kicked him.

An autopsy found that the cause of death was bleeding in the brain.

Last Thursday, Zaidah and Zaini were each convicted of three charges of child abuse and one count each of causing grievous hurt.

Zaidah admitted to 26 other charges of abusing Daniel, and Zaini to another 18 counts.

The couple will be sentenced next Tuesday.

Source: www.tnp.sg

June 29, 2016
Frustrations Of A Mother-Of-4 Exploring Bazaar Geylang: Have People Got No Compassion And Manners?

I bring the pram to Geylang as my son, the youngest, is really hard to handle. He needs to be strapped in his seat.

I hv 4 boys. My 3rd is like a jumping Monkey on everlasting batteries. I will make him sit on the pram so that he will sit still. Albeit fighting will ensue btw him and the 4th boy in the pram.

I hv my 2 other boys holding on each side of the pram while walking as I want to make sure they are always by my side.

Thing is. It can be quite irritating to be dragging the kids and the pram out, but I have to. They are my kids. I need them to be safe. Also because I have to bring them along w me as we do not hv any maid to look after them.

I do not believe in maids although I do feel at times I need help as I struggle btw being a Mom and running my own business. But after hving two bad experiences, I would rather be without one. I hv my Mom but hey, she too needs a break from my kechorable kids. And now, w Papa gone and me being an only child, I bring my Mom along w me everywhere I go. To say the least, I bring everyone along w me.

It is not easy to be out w 4 kids. And it is back breaking to be babywearing a child of more than 10kg for hours. Plus having to ensure the rest of the kids dont go missing. A pram is like a soul reliever. Like godsent. I can strap my two boys in the pram and hang my bag full of bottlemilk, hotwater bottle, milk container and all that I need when we hv tods.

As parents we hv a lot of responsibilities strapped ard us. We hv errands to run and things to be done. At times we need them done w the kids tagging along. Though it hinders our movement at times, but what choice do we hv? We just hv to deal w it. They are our kids. Kids that I carried in my womb and suffered a bad nine months of nausea and morning sickness. I went through hours of labour for. They are my responsibility. My top priority is my children’s safety.

So pardon me for irritating you with my pram while I push my two kids in the pram and at times fighting w each other while dragging my other two kids alongside the pram, and lugging a bag or two. I need my kids in the pram so that I wont go crazy chasing after them.

Just like you. I am tired too. Just like you. I feel annoyed too. Just like you. I get irritated too.

While pushing the pram and pple just wont make way for us to go through. While pushing the pram and we need to go up the lift, but it is jam packed w able bodies that rather take the lift than the escalator and make way to parents w kids and prams. Instead, we hv to make way to these able bodies that just needed to walk a little further to climb on the escalators. While pushing the pram, some may just push you just so they can go through instead of saying excuse me or helping you out when you needed it.

Pushing a pram seems like an easy job but it is not that easy. It takes a lot of patience. I at times lost it too. Thanks to a few inconsiderate pple.

The thing is, it is not easy being a parent.

So pardon us. We are just being parents. We need to get things done and our kids are our responsibilities.

Do understand our situation. We are only parents and are doing the best that we can. Dont hate us for this thing called Pram.

Give love because we all deserve some. Be it those w kids, none or single. Sometimes a little love can really make our day. 🙂

Salam Ramadhan.

Source: Diana Hairul

June 18, 2016
Ustaz Irwan Hadi: Having Young Children Join Terawih Is Blessing, Not A Curse

Praying our terawih in congregation and the fact that we cannot sometimes maybe focus fully becoz there are children crying are but to nurture in us empathy and compassion..One of the wisdom in my view of jemaah or congregational prayers is for us to learn to live cohesively. Although I admit it starts first with tolerance then it turns hopefully into empathy n compassion. Wouldnt we rather our children be acquainted to the mosque..Wouldnt we rather hear their laughter cries and chatter in the house of God or would we rather them stray away n be far from Him?

Remember Prophet’s ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings be upon him) empathy for mothers in the masjid, that was narrated by Anas bin Malik:

“The Messenger of Allah ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: ‘I start prayer and I want to make it long, but then I hear an infant crying, so I make my prayer short, because I know the distress caused to the mother by his crying.’” [Ibn Majah]

Havent we always heard about how the Prophet as an Imam extended his prostration (sujud) in a congregational prayer just becoz his grandchild was climbing on him?
‪#‎DoGoodBeGood‬‪#‎40HadithOnRahmah‬

(QUALIFIER: Even when I lead the prayers, the laughter and cries of children in the mosque during my prayers are more beloved to me then not hearing them:) at least I feel assured the next generations of believers are getting acquainted to God:) my posting is really for those who thinks children are nuisance in the mosques:))

Source: Irwan Hadi

June 12, 2016
ISIS Video Shows Anti-Terror Battle Is About Winning Young Hearts, Minds

SINGAPORE — The latest propaganda video by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) showing child fighters from Malaysia and Indonesia firing guns, burning their passports and denouncing their citizenships — while a wanted terrorist delivered a provocative message for regional governments — has raised concerns among terror experts.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday also weighed in on the “disturbing” 16-minute clip, calling it a reminder that “this fight against terrorism is global and above all, about winning hearts and minds of the younger generation”.

Noting that the video showed footage of young children “excelling in unarmed combat, drills with rifles and knives”, Dr Ng wrote on Facebook: “Many of them should be in school getting a proper education to ensure a bright future. Instead they spend their days in training camps, indoctrinated to hate their fellow countrymen in Malaysia and Indonesia, burn their passports as a sign of their allegiance to terror groups like Isis, and drilled to kill innocent lives.”

Dr Ng described the clip — which named Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand as countries which “created trouble” and “damaged” Islamic beliefs — as “the first Isis video that targets South-east Asia explicitly”. “But unfortunately, I expect more to come,” he said.

The video, titled The Generation of Epic Battles, was released by Isis last week. Narrated in Arabic with subtitles in Bahasa Indonesia, it showed crowds of children clad in combat uniform and headscarves who were firing weapons and undergoing drills. They were also told to wrestle with one another. Individual children pledged to wage jihad against those who have “changed the laws of God”.

Mr Zainuri Kamaruddin, who leads the Malay-speaking Isis arm Katibah Nusantara and is wanted by the Malaysian authorities, was also featured in the video. He led the child fighters in tossing their passports into a bonfire.

Speaking in Malay, he said the “cubs of the caliphate” were preparing themselves to “become the fighters of tomorrow”. He added: “To all the governments of Indonesia and Malaysia, we are not your citizens and we rid ourselves of your passport. But know that we will come back with the strengths of a mighty force that you cannot fathom that you cannot defeat. We will now burn these passports as symbol of our liberation.”

In March last year, Isis also relesed a video titled Education in the Shadow of the Caliphate, which featured children from South-east Asia in military garb studying, praying, eating and undergoing weaponry training.

The latest video was further evidence that the Isis threat is “real and present” in the region, experts said.

Ms Nur Diyanah Anwar, a research analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ (RSIS) Centre of Excellence for National Security, noted the recent surge of propaganda materials from Isis that were translated into regional languages such as Malay and Bahasa Indonesia.

“It is clear that Isis is placing great focus on South-east Asia,” she said.

Videos centered on children are a timely reminder that Isis runs a “multigenerational campaign” that targets everyone in society, including children and women, said Professor Rohan Gunaratna, who heads the RSIS International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research.

National University of Singapore political scientist Bilveer Singh said the act of burning passports was symbolic of Isis followers severing ties with their home countries. “(The scene) shows to the world that Isis supporters were defiantly abandoning their home state for the Islamic State. It is a public act of disavowal,” he said.

He added: “We cannot (for) any longer compartmentalise our response to Isis. It has become everybody’s business and hence, all of us should be involved in building national resilience.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

May 24, 2016