Kelantan Indian Muslim Association Guides Over 50 Mualafs Since 2023

KOTA BHARU, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- The Kelantan Indian Muslim Association (PMIK) has guided more than 50 Indian Muslim converts (mualaf) in deepening their understanding of Islamic teachings since 2023.

Its chairman, Mohamed Sultan Oli Mohamed, said Kelantan is often the destination of choice for converts due to its more conducive environment for strengthening their understanding of Islam, in addition to being welcoming, community-oriented and perceived as safer.

“A majority of these mualafs come from outside Kelantan, including Johor and the Klang Valley, and relocate here to start a new life as Muslims.

“Most of them arrive without family support, and some are even forced to leave their original places of residence after embracing Islam, resulting in an urgent need for assistance, including accommodation, food, welfare support and religious guidance,” he said when met by Bernama at Tanjong Chat here today.

Elaborating further, he said the association also provides temporary accommodation in certain cases, supplies food and daily necessities, assists in securing employment, and helps cover house rental deposits until these individuals achieve stability and independence.

He said the association’s approach goes beyond providing assistance during the initial stages of conversion, focusing instead on offering continuous support to enable these individuals to become independent and build the self-confidence needed to live as Muslims.

“In addition, we also assist the poor and needy regardless of race, including Malays and Chinese, particularly in emergency situations such as health issues, support for children’s education and disasters, including floods.

“We currently have 250 registered members and are actively involved in various programmes. The association requires annual operating costs of about RM70,000, which are fully funded through corporate contributions and public donations, as well as support from the Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIK) and the state government, without any fixed allocation,” he said.

He said the funds received are channelled towards the welfare of mualafs, emergency assistance, temporary accommodation, food supplies, travel expenses, religious education and basic support to help them begin a new life.

“I hope more parties, including corporate organisations, zakat institutions and the public, will come forward to contribute donations to ensure that PMIK can continue to play its role as an important support centre for the mualafs and the needy in the state,” he said.

--BERNAMA