Mosque has been his home for 5 years - Mosque has been his home for 5 years

By Genevieve Jiang
November 11, 2008

HOMELESS people, abused maids, troubled foreign workers, the elderly destitute, and even tourists who cannot find a hotel room for the night.

HOMELESS: Mr Awang Mustakim. TNP PICTURE: MOHD ISHAK
They may sound like unlikely room mates. But they all seek refuge at the Darussalam mosque on Commonwealth Avenue West, Singapore's only 24-hour mosque.
Said the mosque's executive chairman, Mr Abdul Mutalif Hashim: 'We get five or six requests every month from people who walk in asking for a roof over their heads.
'We do not provide permanent shelter, but we cannot turn away people who need help.
'We usually let them stay a few days, or up to a week or two, until we can refer them to relevant welfare organisations.'
But the mosque has made an exception for one man.
Mr Awang Mustakim, 73, has been staying at Darussalam for the past five years, making him the mosque's longest-staying resident.
The old man is a familiar sight there, often walking around with a small black bag slung across his shoulders.
In it are all that he owns - a shirt, a pair of pants, an old transistor radio, some toiletries, medicine, a second-hand handphone with a pre-paid card, and his personal documents.
Mr Awang has diabetes and kidney failure.
Because of his age and illness, he cannot work. He survives on $270 given to him every month by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), and another $50 given to him by his son.
Mr Awang, who is divorced and has four grown-up children, is rarely in touch with his family.
The last time he saw his children was during Hari Raya last year, when he visited his daughter at her Tampines home.
His family does not visit him at the mosque.
Mr Awang said he spends most of his days at Changi Airport, watching planes fly by.
He said it takes his mind off his unhappiness.
Said Mr Awang in Malay: 'Sometimes, as I watch the planes, I talk to myself about how I ended up in such a state.
'It's my fault. In the past, I worked irregular hours and was never there for my family. I could not give them a stable income. That is why I am estranged from them today.'
Mr Awang declined to give more details of how he fell out with his family.
He told The New Paper that he was a fireman in his younger days.
He then became a contract safety officer.
He said that in 1993, he became a security officer, but resigned after he got diabetes in 1998.
He tried to look for other work, but was unable to get a stable job, he said, and started doign odd jobs.
In 2001, he discovered he had kidney failure and started going for for dialysis twice a week at a private clinic. This cost him $700 amonth.
He did not know about subsidised treatment at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) at the time.
To pay his medical bills, he sold his four-room flat in Woodlands, where he was then living with his wife.
His two sons and two daughters, all intheir 30s, had married and moved out by then.
He moved in with one of his daughters at Tampines and stayed for about two years, while his wife moved in with their other daughter.
Clash with family
But Mr Awang said he could not get along with his son-in-law and decided to move out.
He approached Muis for help and asked to stay at the Darussalam mosque.
Initially, staff at the mosque tried to help the family reconcile, but they could not work out their differences.
Said Mr Mutalif: 'After he had stayed with us for some months, we got in touch with his family and his children came to visit him at the mosque.
'They wanted to take him home, but he refused. Mr Awang said he didn't want to be a burden to them. And maybe it's because of his age and illness, he said he wanted to be near God.'
When Mr Awang moved to the mosque, his savings had already run dry. That was when he decided to stop having dialysis.
Said Mr Awang: 'I endured for two weeks until I fainted suddenly one day. I was sent to the intensive care unit at the National University Hospital (NUH) for a few days.'
But when he was discharged, he again skipped dialysis for another week. He collapsed a second time at the mosque.
When he blacked out a third time, doctors at NUH recommended him to the NKF, where he could get free dialysis.
These days, he goes for dialysis at NKF's Tampines branch three times a week.
He currently owes NKF about $1,700 in fees, but the welfare group has agreed to absorb his bill.
Mr Awang spends his days at the airport, walking around the neighbourhood, or resting at the mosque.
When he runs out of money, he approaches hawker centres, asking if he can help wash dishes in exchange for a free meal.
Sometimes, he asks devotees at the mosque for donations.
Son gives cash
Every month, he gets a call from his son to collect $50 from his letter box at Bedok.
Mr Awang refused to let us speak with his family for this report, saying he didn't want to burden them.
But Mr Mutalif and the executive director of a help group for men, the Adam Association (Association for dedicated and active family men), Mr Izuan Rais, confirmed his story.
The Adam Association helped Mr Awang with food rations and $100 food vouchers last month. Mr Izuan is also helping him look for a rental flat, and to get other forms of financial help.
Said Mr Awang: 'I don't have any wishes or hopes. I just want to live out the rest of my life quietly, and not give my family any trouble.'

(From The New Paper)