KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 (Askume) – Malaysian authorities on Wednesday rescued more than 400 children suspected of sexual abuse at a charity run by a large Islamic business group linked to a banned religious sect, police officials revealed.
Police Inspector-General Razaruddin Hussein said police arrested 171 adults, including “ustazs” or Islamic religious teachers, in coordinated raids on 20 premises in two Malaysian states.
Razodeen told a news conference that the rescue team included 201 boys and 201 girls, aged between 1 and 17. The report filed this month alleges neglect, abuse, sexual assault and harassment. He did not say who wrote the report.
Rajuddin said all these houses are run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Company (GISB).
GISB denied the sexual abuse allegations in a statement Wednesday night and said it did not regulate charities. “It is not our policy to plan and execute actions that violate Islamic and national laws,” the company said. The company also said it would report the incident to police and request an investigation.
According to its website, GISB operates from supermarkets to laundromats and operates in several countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France, Australia and Thailand.
Razodin said initial police investigations found that the rescued minors were children of Malaysian GISB employees. These children were sent to these children’s homes soon after birth and then suffered various forms of abuse.
He said the victims were allegedly raped by their adult parents and later taught to rape other children at home.
GISB is linked to the now extinct Malaysian Al-Arqam sect , which was banned by the government in 1994. GISB acknowledges this connection but now describes itself as an Islamic organisation based on Muslim rituals.
The company has previously made headlines for launching the controversial “Obedient Wives Club” , a group that calls on women to obey their husbands “like prostitutes”.
Rajuddin said the children would be sent for health check-up and records. He said the case was being investigated under laws related to sexual offences against children and human trafficking.
“Children and religious sentiments are also used to gain people’s sympathy and raise funds for the organisation,” he said. “We are seeing children being motivated in harmful ways using religious tactics.”
