State fatwa councils begin to speak out

KUALA LUMPUR: The controversy surrounding GISBH, which has been implicated in issues of child exploitation and religion, has grown since Perlis became the first state to declare that the teachings and beliefs propagated by the group contain elements of deviant doctrine, particularly in the area of ​​spirituality.

The decision was taken after a special meeting of the Perlis State Fatwa Committee today, which concluded that the group’s beliefs elevate its leaders and religious figures to an extreme level, almost equating them with the Prophet Muhammad.

Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said while announcing the case that the ideology of GISBH was a continuation of the teachings of ‘Al-Arqam’, which had previously been declared heretical.

Furthermore, the company’s economic model was found to be in conflict with Islamic economic principles. It contained elements of oppression, enslavement of those involved and exploitation of members, children and women.

At the same time, the Negeri Sembilan state government today expressed hope that the federal religious authorities will make a clear decision on all matters related to GISBH.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said this was to ensure that the public could clearly understand the issue and to avoid making statements based on individual views that could cause confusion.

Meanwhile, police continued to crack down on Global by taking action against several more individuals believed to have ties to the company.

During an operation carried out at four different locations in Kelantan and Pahang last night and this morning, police arrested seven members of the company’s Remaja Pembela Ummah (RPU), including the child of a former senior leader of the Al-Arqam group and a member of GISBH’s top management.

These individuals, aged between 32 and 35, have been remanded in custody for seven days from today to assist in the investigation of a case of human trafficking under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act (ATIPSOM) 2007.

Yesterday, police arrested 24 key individuals linked to GISBH, including the company’s top management. The arrests were made in Kedah and the capital through Op Global. This brings the total number of people detained so far to 31.

Meanwhile, in Seremban, another teaching assistant at a madrassa in Kuala Pilah has pleaded not guilty in court there to six counts of sexually abusing four boys last year.

The 20-year-old is accused of forcing two boys, aged 12 and 13, to have sexual physical contact with him at the madrassa in 2023, in a violation of Section 14(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act, 2017.

He is also charged with four counts of physical sexual contact with four boys aged 10 to 13. All these offences were committed in the same madrassa in the same year, under Section 14(a) of the Act.

This latest prosecution brings the total number of people who have appeared in court for various offences to six.

Yesterday, three teaching assistants from the same madrassa, namely Muhammad Habib Noh Mohd Zairi, 21, Muhammad Khunais Fathie Khabil, 20, and Ahmad Nadzful Izham Azizan, 22, were also charged by the court with 14 counts of sexual abuse against five boys in 2022 and 2023.