Batang Kali: The authorities and mosque management must take immediate proactive action to ensure the safety of worshippers, especially children, who often frequent places of worship to seek knowledge and engage in religious practices.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the vice president of the Women’s Affairs Bureau of the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (HELWA ABIM), Dr Fatin Nur Majdina Nordin, stated that the recent attempt to molest a young girl at a mosque in Batang Kali, Selangor, had tarnished the sanctity of the place of worship and posed a threat to the psychological well-being and safety of visitors to mosques. She emphasized that such incidents should not occur in mosques, which are supposed to be places of worship that guarantee peace and safety.

“HELWA ABIM expresses its sadness and concern and urges the community to be more attentive to the issue of child protection and safety, particularly with regard to the recent sexual harassment incident involving a young girl at a mosque,” she said in a statement today. She highlighted the importance of monitoring and ensuring the safety of both inside and around mosque premises, particularly during worship times.

The incident, which occurred yesterday, was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage that went viral. It showed a man wearing a white skull cap sneaking into the women’s prayer area before hugging a young girl from behind while she was in sujood (prostration) and then fleeing with the victim unnoticed by other worshippers. The suspect was later arrested at his residence, located approximately one kilometre from the mosque, at 10 am yesterday.

Selangor Department of Social Welfare (JKM) director, Azmir Kassim, confirmed that checks revealed the man held a disability card (PwD) due to learning difficulties. Dr Fatin Nur Majdina addressed the issue of disability (PwD) involved in the incident, emphasizing the need for careful consideration without adding stigma to the group or normalizing the offences of individuals with disabilities.

“The issue involving PwD is sensitive and requires thorough investigation and assessment. Offenders who are proven guilty should be appropriately punished, without using unfounded or unproven disabilities as an excuse to be exempted from punishment,” she said. She also stressed the importance of protecting the identity of the child involved and advised media practitioners and netizens to be cautious and refrain from spreading the victim’s video indiscriminately.