When the teenagers and boys suspected of setting fire to the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz (religious school) were arrested last month, people were incredulous as well as angry.
“The group of youths is described as loud, crude and rude,” reported The Star when interviewing neighbours living in the area. A picture has been painted of seven youths aged between 11 and 18 – some of whom had been expelled from school – spending their free time loitering outdoors late at night, chatting, laughing, and smoking. Some of them tested positive for marijuana. (See report at tinyurl.com/Star2-youths.)