Illegal Muslim Immigrants being Side-lined by Fellow Malaysian Muslims

28th July 2017 – In a short discussion during the Malaysia Immigration Convention: Transformation to Preserve Excellence TN50 in UUM, Sintok, Kedah, the Director-General of Immigration, Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said, “Employers preferred hiring illegal immigrants since they could take advantage of them who are not protected under the law”.

About 117 default employers were arrested by the Immigration Department via Ops Mega which was started since 1st July 2017, upon expiry of temporary registration of E-Kad for the illegal immigrants.

In line with the government’s decision to issue temporary cards for the illegal immigrants who worked in Malaysia, E-Kad programme has been introduced to enable employers who have been hiring illegal immigrants to seek approval to hire them legally. The programme which started on 15th February 2017 ended on 30th June 2017.

According to Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, actions could be taken against employers who employed illegal immigrants. With effect from 1st July 2017, the Government launched Ops Mega E-Kad to enforce default employers who failed to register the illegal immigrants legally. Until 26th July 2017, about 5,065 illegal immigrants from various nationalities were arrested due to various immigration offenses.

Horrible Detention Centre

In Malaysia, the law imposed by the government is such that illegal immigrants could not secure any jobs and they are subject to negative perceptions by the community. They are not entitled to basic needs as human beings. In Sabah, there is a temporary detention centre known as PTS in Sandakan district and is widely known as Red House by the local community since the building was painted in red.

This is the place to detain people who were arrested since they are not able to produce valid personal identity cards, similar to illegal immigrants. Temporary shelters full of tortures which left endless traumatic experiences to its occupants. That was the statement to portray those who have undergone bad experience at the detention centre. A former detainee shared her experience behind the red wall:

Anee was 23 years old when she was detained by the Immigration Department due to possessing invalid passport without the employer’s guarantee. Bad. That was the first word that she could utter when asked about the condition in the PTS which is similar to a prison. The building was in deteriorating condition, the container for food and drink was dirty. Limited water supply for sanitation and detainee only given 10 seconds to take bath. Limited hot water to prepare milk for babies, giving mothers no option but to use plain water. When babies and children cry, the mothers would be scolded, slapped and accused that they did not know how to take care of their children. Children were given instant noodles resulting them to appear very skinny with bloated stomach.

There are cases of infectious skin diseases. Not given the medicine but scolded when asked for medicine. When the detainees’ relatives come to visit with foods, the security personnel would take the food first and give the remaining to the detainee. Anee had also shared her ordeal when asked to eat outside the premise under the hot, scorching sun; while at the same time they watered her using drain water containing human faeces. “We were not treated as humans, despite the fact that the only difference is, we have no identity card”. She said in sadness.

Dehumanizing Muslims due to False Borders

These are among the achievements of the colonialist Kuffar to disintegrate lands of Muslims via geographical borders. Indonesians will only be recognised in the lands of Indonesia, but they become strangers in the lands of Malaysia, despite the fact that these lands belonged to Muslims, which at one time were under the ruling of the Khilafah State (Dawlah).

Foreigners who come to Malaysia must have valid passport and visa to enter Malaysia; failing which, they are not regarded as legal immigrant, and will be treated like animal. To add insult to injury, the laws in Sabah only give citizenship to people who are born in Sabah, provided one of the parents is a citizen.

Otherwise, they become strangers in their birth place.

The false borders invented by the colonialists must be abolished to secure rights and dignity of human beings as guaranteed by Allah (swt), by restoring the leadership of Muslims under Dawlah Khilafah. The caliph would open the door of Khilafah State to any person who wishes to be the citizen of Dawlah, regardless of their race and religion. All citizens will be treated fairly and given equal rights. These are the treatments that should be given to fellow human beings as shown by the Prophet Muhammad (saw).

Narrated 'Abdullah bin Umar: Allah's Apostle said,

«الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لاَ يَظْلِمُهُ وَلاَ يُسْلِمُهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي حَاجَةِ أَخِيهِ كَانَ اللَّهُ فِي حَاجَتِهِ، وَمَنْ فَرَّجَ عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ كُرْبَةً فَرَّجَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرُبَاتِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَمَنْ سَتَرَ مُسْلِمًا سَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ»

“A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfil his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection.”

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Syamsiyyah Jamil – Malaysia