Life dictated by sect: Woman shares parents' struggles after leaving Al-Arqam
She also shared that her mother was still traumatised by the term "yaqazah" to this day.
NOR SYAMIRA LIANA NOR ASHAHA
SHAH ALAM - A former member of the Al-Arqam group revealed that 80 per cent of the social media posts shared about the sect’s teachings reflect her own parents' experiences.
A woman who only wanted to be known as Raja Amirah said her parents were married while they were part of Al-Arqam and the marriage was arranged by the group.
"My mother joined Al-Arqam when she was 12 years old and my father joined after completing his Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM). Both of them joined to learn more about religion.
"However, their genuine intentions were exploited by people with worldly interests.
"My parents got married while in the group and it was an arranged marriage," she shared in a Facebook post on Saturday.
She said after Al-Arqam was banned, her parents struggled to rebuild their lives while raising three children.
It felt like being strangers in their own country, she added.
"My parents had wandered around, stayed with relatives, rented places, trying to find somewhere to start over.
"At the time, even though they already had three children, they were still getting to know each other.
"Their marriage was unusual because their lives were previously dictated by Al-Arqam," she added.
Due to their past as Al-Arqam members, Raja Amirah said her parents also faced difficulties in securing stable jobs.
To support the family and stay true to their religious values, her parents had to constantly switch jobs.
Raja Amirah also shared that her mother was still traumatised by the term "yaqazah" to this day.
She said it was this very word that led her mother to leave the group, leaving behind all the jewellery her grandmother had given her.
It was reported that 29 individuals aged between 19 and 62, associated with GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH), were remanded between one to seven days to assist in investigations.
They were being investigated under Section 31(a) of the Child Act 2001, the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (Atipsom) 2007.
All of them were detained at the central lockup of the Shah Alam District Police Headquarters as well as in Subang Jaya and Petaling Jaya.
