Detain 171 Suspects In Cases Of Harassment Of Hundreds Of Children In Orphanages, Malaysian Police Investigate GISB With Prohibited Secretariat

Children of victims who were detained by Malaysian Police (CNA Screenshot/)

JAKARTA - Malaysian police are expanding their investigation into large Islamic business organizations related to banned sects after rescuing hundreds of children from alleged abuse in orphanages believed to be run by the group.

The police previously stormed 20 charity shelters in two Malaysian states on Wednesday this week and arrested 171 suspects including Islamic teachers and caregivers and rescued 400 children and adolescents.

Reporting from AFP, Friday, September 13, this case was recorded as the worst hit Malaysia in decades.

The victims, ranging from one to 17 years old, have been subjected to sexual and physical attacks. They are also allegedly forced by nursing home staff to harass each other.

Investigators are "working towards" further arrests and arrests during an ongoing investigation into an organization called Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB), police inspector-general Razarudin Husain said at a press conference Friday, September 13.

"Investigations and health checks so far show at least 13 minors have been sexually harassed," said Razarudin.

The children, who have been temporarily placed in police training centers in Kuala Lumpur among other locations, are still undergoing medical examinations.

Razarudin said on Wednesday that children aged five were burned with hot spoons, while others who were sick were not allowed to seek treatment until their condition was critical.

"Professors also touch the children's bodies as if to carry out health checks," he said.

GISB denied the allegations and said they did not run a nursing home.

"It's not our policy to do things that are against Islam and law," the group said in a statement this week.

GISB has long been in controversy because its relationship with the Al-Arqam sect which now no longer exists and has faced intense scrutiny by religious authorities in the Muslim-majority country.

Al-Arqam was banned by authorities in 1994 for deviant teachings, while members of the GISB in 2011 founded a "complianced Wife's club" asking women to become "prostitutes on the bed" to stop their husbands from deviating.

According to its website, GISB runs businesses ranging from supermarkets to restaurants, and operates in several countries including Indonesia, France, and the UK.

The police believe the children in the orphanage are all children of GISB members.

"We believe that all 402 children are the father of GISB members. That is our current suspicion," police inspector-general Razarudin Husain told AFP on Thursday.

"We feel that DNA samples need to be taken."

Islamic religious authorities in Selangor state, Malaysia, said this week they were closely monitoring GISB activities.

"(We) remain vigilant against any facts that lead to deviations from true Islamic teachings," they said.

This multi-ethnic country has a dual pathway legal system with Muslims subject to sharia law in certain regions.

The UN children's bodies have underlined the "unimaginable horror" faced by the victims.

"These children have experienced inconceivable horrors and will require long-term medical and psychosocial support," said Robert Gass, a representative of UNICEF Malaysia.

Kasus ini juga mengguncang penduduk setempat. "Kejadian ini sangat mengejutkan dan tiba-tiba," kata warga Uzair Abdul Aziz, 37 tahun.

This case also rocked local residents. "This incident was very surprising and sudden," said 37-year-old Uzair resident Abdul Aziz.