KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 (Askume) – The head of a Malaysian organisation accused of running a shelter home has denied there were “one or two” incidents of homosexuality at the shelter.
Police this week rescued 402 children from a charity that authorities say is run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB) Holdings, an Islamic company they also accuse of exploiting its workers.
Medical examinations revealed that several children suffered injuries from physical and sexual abuse, and 13 others were raped, police said on Friday.
GISB says it does not operate the shelters and denies all allegations of abuse and exploitation of workers.
But in a video posted on GISB’s official Facebook page on Saturday, chief executive Nasiruddin Ali said the company had violated some unspecified laws. “I don’t want to blame the law. From a legal point of view, we made some mistakes, but couldn’t there have been some consultation or discussion first?” he said.
Naseeruddin said police allegations that children were subjected to unnatural sex and taught to have unnatural sex with others were “disgusting”, but acknowledged that there had been cases of such abuse within homes.
He said, “Actually, there are one or two cases of homosexuality, but why are all these cases clubbed together?”
GISB is reportedly linked to the Al-Arqam religious sect, which was banned by the government in 1994. The company acknowledged the connection but now describes itself as an Islamic organization based on Muslim principles.
Malaysia’s Islamic Development Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it would submit a report on suspected paranormal teachings linked to the GISB to the Cabinet, the National Religious Affairs Council and the Conference of Rulers. Malaysia has nine royal rulers who are the custodians of Islam in the country.
Nasiruddin said some of GISB’s accounts have been frozen and assets seized by authorities. He said the company is hiring lawyers to defend itself in court.
Police detained 159 people pending investigation following Wednesday’s raids and said the GISB probe could be expanded to include financial crimes.
