The four children of Azizul Raheem Awaluddin and Shalwati Nurshal, the couple who have been detained in Sweden for allegedly punishing their son for not performing his prayers, have expressed to a relative that they want to come home to Malaysia.

A close source to the family has revealed to Astro AWANI the children had pleaded to family members in Malaysia via Facebook to bring them back home.

The source has also expressed that the family wished for the Malaysian government to step in and take action before they are charged in court.

The couple's remand has been extended for 14 days in order for more evidence to be gathered.

According to the source, if both Azizul and Shalwati are charged in court, the case could go on for a very long time. In this scenario, what then would happen to the four children if they have to stay under the Swedish foster care system for that long?

In responding to claims of the children’s pleas, Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, said that Wisma Putra need to take things step by step and not jump ahead of itself by pre-empting situations before it happens.

“Wisma Putra cannot act just on hearsay because we cannot assume unless we have prove. Otherwise, it might affect bilateral relations,” he said.

"We have to respect the laws of that particular country and whatever help that can be given will have to go through the proper channels and procedure.”

Wisma Putra’s officials are now following up on the case and working closely with the Swedish authorities.

There is also a Facebook campaign called 'Bring Shal and Family Home' that has already garnered close to 1,600 followers.