PETALING JAYA: Perlis has become the first state to issue a fatwa declaring Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) as a deviant sect.“The religious decree will be gazetted soon to ensure it can be enforced,” says Perlis mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin (pic).
However, he did not say when the fatwa would be gazetted.
In a statement yesterday, the Perlis Fatwa State Committee said it had been convinced by evidence submitted to it that GISB propagated deviant teachings that were a continuation of those by the banned Al-Arqam.
It also said GISB’s economic model ran contrary to the teachings of Islam, which forbids the exploitation and slavery of children and women.
“After receiving the evidence on GISB and being convinced, the Perlis Fatwa State Committee has decided that the beliefs and teachings of GISB include deviant teachings, especially those that have to do with spiritual beliefs. These are also a continuation of the Al-Arqam teachings, which have been banned.
“The beliefs of the GISB community, which idolises its leaders and religious leaders, have crossed the limits to equalising them to the level of prophethood, possessing the ability to perform miracles and knowing the unseen as though they were God.
“The idolisation has groomed loyalty to these leaders, even though this goes against the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet,” the panel said.
It added that GISB followers also blindly complied with their leaders’ instructions.
It also claimed that GISB followers believed their dead leaders were still alive to guide them and had created new laws on marriage and prayers that contradicted Islamic teachings.
“We urge the Muslim community to assist the GISB followers to rehabilitate themselves. Zakat can be used for their rehabilitation to provide education, rebuild their lives, protection and legal fees to enable them to free themselves from GISB,” the committee further said.
Mohd Asri, when contacted, said the next step is to gazette the fatwa so that it could be made into a law that could be enforced.
“That will be done as soon as possible. While the police handle the suspected criminal cases involving the company, we religious authorities in Perlis will be managing the followers, but this has to be done wisely.
“We have to understand that in such a deviant cult community, the followers may be innocent as they may not even know that the teachings are deviant,” he said.
The religious authorities, he added, would need to arrange a proper programme and curriculum for the followers to ensure that their welfare, education and livelihood are well taken care of so that they do not return to the deviant teachings and ways.
Prior to the police raids and spotlight on GISB, Mohd Asri had spoken of the community members having lived their lives for so long away from normal Malaysians and in their own way, to the point where their loyalty was only to their leaders.
Activities involving GISB were in the news recently after its charity houses, or care homes, were raided and 402 children rescued on Sept 11 amid allegations of sexual abuse, grooming and exploitation.
To date, the police have arrested scores of GISB leaders and followers, with some already charged in court.
On Thursday, 19 of GISB’s senior management members such as its chief executive officer Datuk Nasiruddin Mohd Ali, his wife and two sons, were arrested and later remanded for seven days to aid police investigations.
With 25 subsidiaries and associated companies, GISB has a presence across 20 countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
The company operates a slew of businesses such as retail marts, catering, poultry, event management, consultancy services and tours.
There are also restaurants in London, Paris, Istanbul, Dubai and Mecca under its banner.
Within the company, there are 51 departments established under seven sectors – education and human capital; administration and finance; multimedia and communications; agriculture, stock breeding and fishery; community, welfare, family and health; youth and Sunnah sports; and business, manufacturing and tourism.
GISB leaders have denied that they are a deviant sect.
Nasiruddin, however, admitted that “one or two cases of sodomy” did occur in their community.
