The Malaysian police announced on Saturday that a total of 355 individuals have been arrested as part of an investigation into hundreds of incidents of physical and/or sexual abuse of children in shelters and host homes across the country.
At the heart of this investigation is the corporate group GISB (Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holding), which is accused of not only managing these “houses of horror” but also having connections to a banned Islamist sect, Al-Arqam, which has since been dissolved.
Among those arrested are the president and CEO of GISB, Nasiruddin Ali, and at least 30 employees of the group, according to police reports.
Raids were conducted at various locations, including charities, healthcare facilities, Islamic schools, and residential areas.
Previously, 171 individuals had been arrested on September 11, including “ustaz” (religious teachers) and other educators. The police added that at least 402 children were rescued during operations in 20 shelters. The police believe these children are the offspring of the group’s workers in Malaysia, as explained by Inspector General Razarudin Husain.
Initially, the group denied all allegations and asserted that it did not manage the centers involved in the investigations, located in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan states.
However, on September 14, Nasiruddin Ali acknowledged that instances of sexual abuse had occurred, including “one or two cases of sodomy” in the shelters, while denying any claims of systematic, widespread violence.
According to medical reports, at least 13 children had suffered sexual violence, according to Inspector General Husain.
The scandal raises concerns about the safety of children in these shelters and the oversight of charitable organizations in the country.
UNICEF, the UN agency responsible for advocating children’s rights, condemned the “unimaginable horror” that the young victims experienced.
The Al-Arqam sect was dissolved by the authorities in 1994, as its doctrine was deemed deviant and heretical. Since then, the GISB group has been under scrutiny by the authorities in the predominantly Muslim country.
In 2011, a scandal erupted when it was revealed that the group had created a “Obedient Wives Club,” which encouraged women to submit to their husbands “as if they were sex workers” to prevent infidelity.
On its website, GISB states that it is an Islamic holding group managing companies such as supermarkets and restaurants in various countries, including Indonesia, the UK, and France.
