The Level of Understanding of Several Syariah-Related Issues among Flood Victims in Flood Evacuation Centres in Malaysia

Natural disasters, especially floods, are annual natural disasters that often affect Malaysia. A major concern for residents who live in flood-affected areas is the unpredictable occurrence of these floods. A temporary evacuation centre provides protection and accommodation for residents whose homes are flooded. As the number of houses inundated by flood water increases, so does the number of people who are moved to temporary evacuation centres. Previous studies have discussed the elements of unsatisfactory infrastructure facilities and the impact of a high number of flood victims in a temporary evacuation centre. The majority of flood-affected evacuees in these centres are Muslims and they are obligated to carry out Allah SWT's commandments regardless of where they are. The surrounding conditions at the evacuation centre differ from that of a home, which affect the implementation of Allah SWT's commandments in the temporary evacuation centre. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the level of understanding of several Syariah issues, such as taharah, performing prayers and safeguarding one’s aurat as well as socialising, among flood victims in temporary evacuation centres in Malaysia. This study adopted a quantitative design by distributing questionnaires to 400 flood victims residing in 19 temporary evacuation centres around the Seri Medan village in Batu Pahat. Findings indicated that flood victims in temporary evacuation centres around the Seri Medan village in Batu Pahat had a high level of understanding of Syariah issues.