IN THE true Malaysian spirit, surau committee members came to the aid of an Indian woman with a newborn baby found hiding in the dark.
The incident unfolded at the Surau Madrasatul Huda in Alor Setar, Kedah when the woman holding her baby was found in a state of anxiety and confusion behind the house of the surau secretary, Shamsul Anuar Aziz, 44, last Thursday night.
Shamsul Anuar described the encounter with the woman as something that made him realize the true value of humanity, regardless of race and religion.
"When the incident happened at 8.35pm, we had just finished Maghrib prayers. I sat for a moment outside the surau when I spotted the woman carrying a baby slowly walking in front.
"The way she walked, her face ... she looked scared, like someone in trouble, her baby was only wrapped in a yellow towel while she was carrying a plastic bag," he told Harian Metro.
Shamsul Anuar said he later received a call from his cousin who lives behind his house, telling him that there was a woman with a baby hiding in a dark area nearby.
"I immediately went to see, bringing two or three surau members with me. When I arrived, I saw her crouched, hiding behind a car. The place was dark. When I spoke to her, she seemed to want to run away.
"At that time, she said softly, 'Please don't chase me away'. My heart immediately melted," said Shamsul Anuar who lives in Kampung Seberang Perak, Lorong Nyior Setali.
He said he managed to calm the woman down and persuaded her to follow them to the surau to find a safer and more peaceful place.
He said the woman was not talking much, probably because she was scared and traumatised.
"I said I didn't want to chase her away; I wanted to help. She finally followed me to the surau. We asked her to sit down and asked her what was wrong.
"She looked weak, and her facial expression showed that she was in a very troubled state," he said.
After being persuaded, he said the woman began to talk about how she had previously stayed at her friend's house near the village, who also had a family, but was stressed over financial issues.
More heartbreaking was that her husband is currently serving a prison sentence.
"She said she ran away from her friend's house because she felt unsafe. She had no money, no place to go. Her child was only wrapped in a towel, and the diapers hadn't been changed for a long time," he said.
Touched by the woman's plight, Shamsul Anuar and several others took action to buy milk, disposable diapers and food for the baby and set up a temporary resting place at the surau.
He said the woman in her early 20s then told him she had a brother in Penang.
"I helped her contact her brother, and we agreed to buy the last ETS ticket that night, and make sure she and her baby boarded the train safely," he said.
"This is the first time this has happened at our surau. But I am grateful that we were given the opportunity to help her. We don't care about race or religion, what is important is that she and the baby are safe," he said.
He said the woman managed to thank him before leaving for Penang.
"She thanked us several times and I asked her to pray for our health and prosperity.
"For me, this is a test for me and my fellow surau members. We pray for the best for the woman," he said.
The video has since gone viral, garnering thousands of heartfelt comments.
Many users praised the kindness of the surau members, with some social media users from Penang even offering to help the mother further. – May 26, 2025
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