GISB Child Sexual Exploitation: The Tip Of Iceberg

Global Ikhwan, a conglomerate with over 800 businesses in 16 countries including China, France, UK and Australia was recently caught on September 11, 2024, with child sexual exploitation in their own charity homes that involved 402 children aged 1-17 years old who were subjected to horrific abuse, including forced sodomy while the adults act as the bystanders. Sick children were denied medical care, and some were burned with hot objects for minor mistakes. Caretakers exploited the guise of medical check-ups to sexually assault the children.

So much darkness. And for how long? Were there more than 402? 

Considering that one year old and five year old tots were among the occupants rescued by the police from the welfare homes. This was a dumping ground for children. This is not what we call welfare homes, but it is “Pusat Pembuangan Anak”. 

The majority of the 402 children rescued from the welfare homes were left there since they were two years old, says IGP Razarudin Husain. Razarudin says early investigations found that the children are believed to be third-or fourth- generation GISB members. Not orphans but were sent there willingly by their parents. Their parents were also associated with the company. They were separated from their parents, who went to countries such as Saudi Arabia and Turkiye for up to six years. The police believe some of the children have not seen their parents for years. Police are investigating whether the parents left the children behind voluntarily or were instructed to do so by GISB leadership.  

Razarudin says some of the children were given alternative education instead of attending school, and the police will work with the education ministry on this issue. Unicef representative in Malaysia, Robert Gass, said the children had endured unimaginable horrors and will need long-term professional medical and psychosocial support. 

We can’t forget the fact that those thousands of kids who are practically 'abandoned' at these centers are suffering an enormous amount of mental and emotional distress. Then some of them get sexually molested and physically abused. Will they grow up to be well adjusted, model citizens of their society?

Problem With Our Tahfiz and Religious Education in Our Country 

There are many high-quality private tahfiz and religious schools that adhere to established rules and standards. This can be evaluated based on several factors, including the qualifications of the teachers, the curriculum, and the learning environment. In general, religious and tahfiz schools under the Ministry of Education are well-managed in terms of educational quality. 

However, it is undeniable that some religious and tahfiz schools are established without meeting the necessary requirements. There are 1,199 registered tahfiz centres nationwide, producing 125,000 huffaz (Muslims who have memorized the Quran). However, there are many more unregistered tahfiz centers. In Selangor only a total of 724 private tahfiz institutions were detected operating without registering with the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) as of March 31. 

This is often due to the enthusiasm of certain 'ustaz' (religious teachers) who, driven by personal motivations, start their own schools despite not fulfilling the essential educational standards. There are instances where 'ustaz' who did not succeed academically in the past go on to open schools without possessing the relevant qualifications or educational training, let alone a diploma or teaching certificate. As a result, these individuals become part of the teaching staff despite lacking sufficient knowledge in education, teaching methods, or pedagogy.

In poorly managed schools, in an effort to minimize costs, they hire anyone willing to teach, regardless of whether they have expertise in the relevant subject. Consequently, unqualified and inexperienced individuals end up teaching subjects such as English, mathematics, science, or history—subjects in which they themselves may be deficient. Some of these teachers are merely filling the position temporarily while waiting for other job opportunities, which further reduces their level of commitment and responsibility.

For many of the tahfiz school, madrasah, welfare homes operators they cram in as many children as possible into rooms and premises. 20, 30, 40 children crammed into one room at night is quite normal. They make more money. There have been too frequent fires and children burnt to death at these centers. It has been reported multiple times that these full board and lodging tahfiz school and madrasah often fail the Bomba fire safety codes. And we do not know the type of food, the quality of food or the quantity of food fed to these children at all these centers.

Unfortunately, some tahfiz and religious school owners establish these institutions for personal gain. They exploit the name of tahfiz and religion to solicit donations, with no oversight from a committee or auditing body to ensure transparency. In some cases, these school owners accumulate wealth through public donations while their schools remain in a poor state.

What is even more disheartening is that some schools involve students in fundraising efforts, resulting in young tahfiz students soliciting donations in public places such as highways, restaurants, and supermarkets. Despite all these horrors and problems there is a growing demand for these low cost, full board and lodging tahfiz school and madrasah all over the country. But parents will send their kids there out of religious convictions, they want their kids to get "religious training". 

In the end, the ones who suffer are Muslim parents and children who, in their pursuit of religious education, are misled by unscrupulous tahfiz centers and religious schools that are proliferating unchecked.

Who is GISB

GISB is a business franchises across Europe which totalling assets of $75m. The Muslim conglomerate, which has assets totaling around RM325 million globally, operates a vast network of 415 business outlets across 20 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australasia, as reported by The Malaysian Reserve. The group employs 5,346 staff across its 25 subsidiaries. Among its notable assets are a desert oasis in Saudi Arabia, restaurants in London, Paris, Istanbul, Dubai, and Makkah, accommodations in Turkiye, a hotel in Sarajevo, and a 120-acre estate in Perth.

GISB (how its a rebrand of Al-arqam) and how muslims and islam are horrid. Please all take note and be educated about this. Al-arqam (and by extension this GISB also) was classified as deviant way back in 1994 by the National Fatwa Council. It is not an islamic organisation at all and doesn’t represent Islam or muslims in Malaysia.

They would never have succeeded in concealing their alleged criminal activities without protection from powerful hidden hands.

This is the only “The Tip Of The Iceberg”