What we know so far: The nursing homes that allegedly forced children to sexually abuse each other

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — More than 400 children, some as young as one year old, were rescued yesterday during police operations at nursing homes allegedly linked to the Global Ikhwan Group, also known as GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH), in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

The raids were conducted in response to 41 police reports filed against the company from 2011 through September 7 of this year.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain confirmed that 171 people, including caretakers, religious teachers and the centre’s chairman, were arrested following the raids.

“Investigations have revealed that a company dealing in Islamic products was involved in human trafficking before a police report was filed in Shah Alam, Selangor,” Razarudin told a news conference yesterday.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the caretakers not only sodomized the children staying there, but also taught them to perform similar acts on other children in the home.

“Children and religious sentiments were exploited to solicit donations, with perpetrators even claiming to perform Islamic treatments while inappropriately touching the victims,” Razarudin said.

However, on Saturday, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said that police are investigating a company for its alleged involvement in a child exploitation case.

Global Ikhwan Services & Business Holdings (GISBH) today denied involvement in the alleged abuse, saying it was not the operator of the nursing homes raided and claiming the company was the target of a smear campaign.

What happened after the raids?

A view of the Baitul Mahabbah Healthcare Centre Seremban 2 September 11, 2024. — Bernama pic

The case is being investigated under the Child Act 2001, the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

A view of the entrance of the Baitul Mahabbah Care Center Seremban 2 September 11, 2024. — Bernama pic

What is Global Ikhwan Services & Business Holdings?

Global Ikhwan bills itself as a Bumiputera Muslim-run company and has assets worth RM325 million worldwide and operates 415 branches in 20 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and Australasia, the news site said. The Malaysian Reserve reported last month.

The group, founded in 2010, has its roots in the Arqam Group, the business arm of the deviant religious movement Al-Arqam, which was banned by the National Fatwa Council in 1994.

However, in a statement today, the company said it has distanced itself from its former ties with the Al-Arqam group and is now positioning itself as a multinational.

According to Global Ikhwan, there are now a total of 5,346 employees working across its 25 subsidiaries. The Malaysian Reserve.

The privately held company has an annual turnover of RM187 million, putting it on par with local listed companies.

The conglomerate owns a desert oasis in Saudi Arabia and restaurants in major cities including London, Paris, Istanbul, Dubai and Mecca.

The company also owns properties in Turkey, a hotel in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and a 48.56-hectare estate in Perth, Australia.

What is the Arqam Group?

The Arqam Group was the business arm of Al-Arqam, a deviant Islamic sect founded by its spiritual leader Ashaari Muhammad.

The Arqam Group was renamed Rufaqa Corp. The name was later changed to Global Ikhwan with GISB Holdings as its registered name, shortly before Ashaari’s death.

The company was founded on Islamic business principles, focusing on halal products and going international with its factories and supermarkets.

Al-Arqam started in 1968 in Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, under the name “White House” (White House) when the study group met in a white-painted house. In its first two years of existence, it had already drawn criticism, accused of spreading deviant Islamic teachings.

The group also joined the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) and Ashaari was also offered the position of president, but he turned it down.

Ashaari established a village in Kampung Sungai Penchala, Kuala Lumpur, equipped with a mosque, a lecture hall, dormitories, offices, a school, houses and shops. It also published printed materials to spread his teachings.

However, in 1986, the public was shocked by Ashaari’s book Aura which claimed that Muhammad and the four caliphs could be physically and consciously met in the real world.

The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) claimed that the book was misleading and could endanger the beliefs of Malaysian Muslims. The book was banned in 1998 by the National Fatwa Committee.

Ashaari also made indirect suggestions that he was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and asked his followers to address him as Syeikh Abuya Iman Ashaari Muhammad At-Tamini. He was also reported to have made claims that he had met the Prophet.

Ashaari was once imprisoned for two years under the Internal Security Act of 1960 and died in 2010.