“I will put my words into action,” the Sultan of Selangor urges religious authorities as the global Ikhwan scandal breaks

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 – The Sultan of Selangor today ordered the state’s Islamic authorities to take immediate action against Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH), a local company that is at the centre of ongoing investigations into a range of alleged criminal and deviant religious activities.

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said he was shocked and disappointed when he learned about the scandal after returning from abroad, pointing out that the allegations against GISBH had been going on for so long without any action being taken.

“I regret and am disappointed that this matter has continued for so long without effective action being taken to resolve it.

“We must accept the reality that the delay in addressing this issue reflects a weakness in the monitoring and enforcement of laws by religious bodies in relation to charitable homes and Islamic schools linked to GISBH and its network, which has resulted in the matter becoming so serious and uncontrollable,” he said in a statement posted on the Selangor Royal Office’s Facebook page this afternoon.

He called for immediate and decisive legal action against all those who commit crimes against children and religiously deviant practices in order to preserve the sanctity of Islam.

“I would like to remind all parties, especially religious authorities, to take seriously the issues surrounding the conduct of the GISBH, especially when it comes to children and the allegedly heretical teachings they practice.

“I don’t want us to be compared to a ‘hollow can’ that can talk well but doesn’t produce results.

“We must follow the principle of following our words with actions,” he added.

He also called on the police and all other law enforcement agencies to conduct their investigations transparently to maintain public trust.

The GISBH scandal erupted earlier this month after Bukit Aman announced a major raid on 20 GISBH-affiliated charity houses in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, rescuing over 400 children and arresting nearly 200 people aged between 17 and 64.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain later announced that several people associated with the company were suspected of being involved in a variety of criminal activities, ranging from sexual abuse of minors to teaching minors how to sexually abuse other children, human trafficking and criminal intimidation.

Immediately following the police revelations, GISBH executive chairman and CEO Datuk Nasiruddin Mohd Ali admitted to sodomy allegations on September 14, but downplayed the number to “one or two” incidents.

Since then, police have carried out further raids and arrests across the country.

At the time of reporting, national news service Bernama reported that IGP Razarudin had so far said about 200 people had been arrested for their alleged links to GISBH.

Perlis was the first state to issue a fatwa against GISBH after declaring the group apostate.

The group is linked to Al Arqam, an Islamic sect that was banned about 30 years ago.