BALING: The year was 1985. For months, Soleha Husin, from Kampung Memali here, had been having sleepless nights knowing that the police were out to get her husband, Ibrahim Mahmud.
Her fears grew as her husband, a religious teacher, said he would never be detained under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA).
Ibrahim, nicknamed “Ibrahim Libya”, had been a police target for some time. They accused him of spreading deviant teachings, which he strenuously denied.
The police had been trying to nab him since September 1965 but failed. They even used Ibrahim’s family members to coax him to turn himself in, to no avail.
Soleha’s worst fears were confirmed on Nov 19 that year when their home was surrounded by police wanting to arrest the ustaz.
What happened next is well-known in Malaysian history. Ibrahim and 14 men who defended him were slain. Four policemen also died in the clash.
Soleha, a mother of five, was still struggling with the horror of the incident when she was taken to the Alor Star police lock-up. She was held there for two months.
Soleha and 100 other detainees from Memali have maintained one thing — they were forced to make admissions, including painting Ibrahim as someone leading an armed revolution to topple the government.
“The worst part was when the police asked me and the other detainees to confirm that my late husband had been spreading deviant teachings by proclaiming himself the Prophet.
“That was absurd. My late husband had served with the government as a preacher.
“How could he have been propagating deviant teachings?
“He never did anything of the sort. I told them that I would never admit to such lies.”
She said although she was devastated by her husband’s death and having to raise her children on her own, she would never betray him.
“That is why we have been calling for the government to set up a royal commission of inquiry on Memali because I wish to clear my husband’s name,” she said in an interview.
Soleha’s neighbour, Rodziah Ghozali, 68, claimed she was also told to admit that Ibrahim had proclaimed himself the Prophet, something she never heard of prior to the Memali tragedy.
“I was detained for 40 days. Police kept pestering me to confirm that Ibrahim had been propagating deviant teachings.
“I told them I would never admit to something that ridiculous.”
She said she had vivid memories of her detention.
Kedah Pas special committee on Memali chairman Datuk Muhamad Yusuf Husin was among those detained.
He claimed the police used many tactics to compel detainees to say things that did not happen, claiming that he was also forced to say things about Ibrahim.
“The interrogation was almost round the clock. I was told to say so many things based on the script provided to me. After I was released, I could not believe I had said so many things about Ibrahim. I regret it.”