KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian conglomerate under investigation for child abuse and money laundering eluded authorities for years by hiding behind a thriving global Islamic business network, according to police and the company’s now-offline website. Horrific allegations of child sexual assault came to light in September when police first rescued more than 400 youngsters from care homes operated by Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB).

Malaysian police chief Razarudin Husain has said that at least 13 youngsters under 17 suffered sexual abuse in what the media has dubbed as the “houses of horror”. The group ran more than 100 care homes in the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian nation where children as young as one year old were housed. “They basically exploit religious belief, and this is not unusual. A lot of cults operate like this ... It’s a form of social engineering,” Munira Mustafa, executive director of security consultancy Chasseur Group in the capital Kuala Lumpur, told AFP.

“It’s just them being very adept at leveraging the potential vulnerabilities that exist in society. It’s as simple as that,” she added. A total of 625 children have been rescued, while 415 people have been arrested in large-scale police raids that crippled the company’s businesses. The firm’s chief executive Nasiruddin Ali was charged on Wednesday along with his wife Azura Yusof and 20 senior leaders with being members of an organized crime group. Several other people have been charged with criminal intimidation and child abuse.

Authorities have seized properties and frozen bank accounts related to GISB worth nearly $4.6 million. They have also opened probes into 23 properties worth $12.11 million across 10 countries. Police said investigations into money laundering, deviant religious teachings and militant indoctrination were ongoing. GISB initially denied allegations following the raids in Selangor and the nearby state of Negeri Sembilan. Nasiruddin later acknowledged in a Facebook post that “one or two sodomy cases” had taken place at the shelters, while denying that abuse was widespread. Defense lawyer Rosli Kamaruddin said he would ask the attorney general to either review or drop Wednesday’s charges.

From its headquarters in a quiet suburb, GISB wove a web of businesses in 20 countries — including Australia, China, France and the United Kingdom, according to its website, which is no longer accessible. The businesses targeted Muslim customers of GISB’s network of supermarkets, restaurants and travel agencies. Before the scandal, the company had assets totaling $75.6 million, the website showed. Founded in 2010, GISB has long been controversial for its links to the now-defunct Al-Arqam sect, facing scrutiny by religious authorities in Malaysia. Al-Arqam, founded by the late Ashaari Muhammad in 1968, was banned by the authorities in 1994 for deviant teachings. In 2011, GISB members set up an “Obedient Wives Club” that called on women to be “whores in bed” to stop their husbands from straying.

Ashaari’s daughter, Khaulah — who is also a GISB member — said the group has eschewed anti-Islamic practices. Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told parliament this month that practices “related to the (banned) teachings ... are still being carried out by those we have apprehended and investigated”. Children in the welfare homes run by GISB were subjected to severe punishments, such as humiliating exercises, even for minor infractions. “Not 100 but 500 times, if they did not queue properly when waiting for food,” Saifuddin said.

Religious Affairs Minister Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said GISB members believe they would be blessed in the afterlife for their faith in Ashaari, who died in 2010. “They practice seeking blessings from Allah through water used to wash the hands, tissues and cloths of leaders as well as the water used to soak their clothes, hair, beard and the blood from the cupping of leaders and former leaders,” Na’im said in parliament.

Followers who leave the group are barred from meeting their family members, Na’im said. “Followers are asked to sacrifice and toil in hardships without pay for the benefit of GISB, while the leaders live in luxury, fully supported by the organization.” Meanwhile, rescued children were reportedly exposed to videos with militant themes, leaving police to investigate GISB for extremist indoctrination. Singapore-based terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna told AFP that “if religious extremism is not controlled, it leads to violence and terrorism”. — AFP