The Malaysian Insight

BADAR Squad, the vigilante group that rounded up unwed Muslims suspected of committing “khalwat” (close proximity), will be reactivated and launched nationwide by the end of this month, said the group’s leader Azhar Mohamad.

According to Azhar, Badar Squad will apply to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) to adopt a new name: Badar al-Kubra, with “kubra” meaning “big”, he added.

Azhar told The Malaysian Insight that the Kedah-based group had been asked by many people to resume operations.

“I will re-open with the name Skuad Badar al-Kubra Malaysia and there will be branches in every state to carry out anti-vice operations and assist the authorities.

“We have members but they still need to be registered. We will hold a ceremony to launch the new squad sometime late in July.

“We will re-register with the Registrar of Societies again and we are getting legal advice on the matter. We do not want to break any laws,” the 46-year-old from Sg Petani said.

In April, Azhar and six others were fined RM1,000 each after pleading guilty to joining an illegal organisation, because the Badar Squad was not registered with the RoS.

Azhar said his team will be careful this time and obtain legal help to ensure the squad is properly registered.

The Malaysian Insight first reported about the squad’s vigilante activities last November.

Following an outcry from rights activists and politicians, the squad stopped its raids.

Several of its leaders were remanded and later charged.

Azhar said the squad will resume its practice of taking unwed couples to the cemetery at night, where they will be counselled.

Though the tactic was deemed going overboard, he said people from the Sg Petani community had asked him to reactivate the squad because they claimed more and more Muslim teenagers were committing khalwat.

“People came to us crying and asking when we will resume operations. They could not stand seeing youths hugging each other in public places.

“When we were active, Sg Petani teenagers were not so daring. Yet, after we stopped, these activities are on the rise and they are doing it more openly.”

He said some parents were also asking his help to retrieve daughters who had run away with their boyfriends.

Azhar also claimed that immoral activities had become worse under the Pakatan Harapan government.

He didn’t explain how he had come to the conclusion, but claimed that this could be seen from the higher number of “cars parked at hotels compared to the time when we were active”. – June 3, 2019.