PETALING JAYA: A 48-year-old Hindu man who almost fell into a sinkhole in Jalan Masjid India last Friday reverted to Islam three days later.
The Islamic Youth Group of Malaysia (ABIM) president Ahmad Fahmi Mohd Samsudin confirmed the matter that the man, known as Kalidass, came to meet them personally to express his wish of reverting, as reported by Berita Harian.
“He also mentioned that he had been intending to embrace Islam for a long time. He came prepared and even attended with two witnesses who were his acquaintances.
“Only the incident of almost falling into the sinkhole due to the slippery ground on Jalan Masjid India was a ‘wake-up call’ for him not to delay any longer,“ he was quoted as saying.
He recited the two kalimah shahada (Islamic oath and creed) at the Islamic Outreach ABIM (IOA) Centre, Masjid Negara and received his new name, Haridath.
On August 23, a sinkhole incident occurred at Jalan Masjid India where a CCTV footage went viral showing a woman suddenly falling into a sinkhole, and Haridath can be seen sitting nearby.
He managed to save himself even though one of his legs was exposed at the time.
Ahmad Fahmi said during the meeting, Haridath recounted the moment he almost became a victim of the incident and mentioned that he knew the Indian woman who fell into the hole because she often travelled to Malaysia.
He added that during the incident, the victim’s husband was walking not far behind the victim that the footage did not capture.
“Perhaps the cause of the incident is that he received guidance from Allah SWT to open his heart and embrace Islam,“ he said.
However, Ahmad Fahmi hoped that all parties would give him space to calm down and respect Haridath’s privacy.
He said ABIM maintains that religion is an inherent and essential part of human nature, and thus, individuals cannot be coerced into or out of religious beliefs.
“At the same time, we pray that the search operation for the victims of the slippery soil on Jalan Masjid India will be facilitated, and we express our sympathy to the families of the victims,“ he added.
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