Kelantan PAS chief insists there are no members linked to GISBH and Al-Arqam sect at heart of child sex abuse scandal

KOTA BARU, Sept 29 — No Kelantan PAS member is involved in GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH) or Al-Arqam, said Kelantan PAS deputy commissioner Datuk Dr. Mohamed Fadzli Hassan.

Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar Mohamed Fadzli said PAS and Al-Arqam are two different entities.

“Yes, I (can) confirm that no PAS member is involved in the two groups,” he told reporters after attending the inauguration ceremony in conjunction with the 55th birthday of Kelantan Sultan Muhammad V.

Mohamed Fadzli said the state government is leaving all matters related to GISBH to the authorities for investigation and that action should be taken if it is proven that it has broken the rules from a religious point of view.

“For now, we will leave it to the police, MAIK (Kelantan Religious and Malay Customs Council) and JHEAIK (Kelantan State Islamic Religious Affairs Department),” he said.

Meanwhile, Kelantan Mufti Datuk Mohamad Shukri Mohamad, when met at the ceremony, said there was no need to create a new fatwa regarding GISBH unless other elements had been found by the authorities.

He said that the fatwa on deviant teachings, which was used by the National Fatwa Council on August 5, 1994 to declare Al-Arqam deviant, is still relevant and should be adopted if it is proven that the same happened in GISBH.

On September 11, police launched Op Global and raided 20 homes of charities in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan linked to GISBH, amid allegations of child exploitation and religious misconduct.

Since the start of the operation, over 300 persons, including some senior managers of GISBH, have been arrested and 572 victims have been rescued in various states across the country.

GISBH has since denied the allegations of child exploitation and sexual abuse. – Bernama