A massive child abuse and human trafficking scandal linked to a company running restaurants and orphanages worldwide has been unearthed in Malaysia. Over 600 children were rescued in raids, with shocking allegations of forced labour, sexual abuse, and cult-like control.
Senior leaders of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH), including CEO Nasiruddin Mohd Ali, now face charges of organised crime, as former members reveal the disturbing reality behind the group’s self-proclaimed Islamic mission.
The organisation is facing allegations of running a cult-like institution that forced followers to work, have multiple children – some allegedly conceived through rape – to populate orphanages, and raise donations funding their lavish lifestyles, a CNN investigation revealed. Some individuals now face charges including child trafficking, sexual abuse, and organised crime.
CEO Ali, now arrested, admitted in a video statement that “one or two cases of sodomy” had occurred but dismissed other allegations as slander. “Indeed, we have done some wrong in the eyes of the law … but why lump them all together?” he said.
Former followers described life under strict control, with no contact with the outside world. Their only source of information was an in-house television channel that promoted the teachings of Al Arqam, an Islamic sect banned in the 1990s for its “deviant” beliefs. This resurgence of the cult reportedly involved “prison islands” and so-called “holy water” infused with the leaders’ hair and bathwater. Former members claim this water was sprayed on products from their factories and food served in GISBH restaurants.
In September, Malaysian police Inspector General Razarudin Husain rescued children reportedly born to GISBH employees, who were subjected to forced “labour and exploitation,” he said. Health screenings of 392 children confirmed physical and emotional abuse. Children were allegedly groomed and forced to abuse others.
“They themselves were abused by their caretakers. Then they were forced to sodomise other children,” Mr Husain said in another briefing.
As the scandal unfolded, GISBH’s businesses – restaurants, grocery stores, and laundromats – were shut down, their branding removed, and social media accounts deleted.
Police searches revealed books and photos related to Al Arqam’s founder, Ashaari Muhammad, who had been under house arrest before his death in 2010. GISBH claimed to operate 100 care homes for over 3,000 youths, promoting an “Islamic way of life,” though former members condemned the group’s exploitation and harsh treatment of women.
Ashaari’s daughter, Ummu Atiyah, distanced herself from GISBH, criticising its financial exploitation and treatment of women, as per CNN. Former members also revealed that children presented as orphans in fundraising campaigns were, in fact, the offspring of GISBH workers, separated from their parents and raised under strict religious teachings.
Former members also revealed that children presented as orphans in fundraising campaigns were, in fact, the offspring of GISBH workers, separated from their parents and raised under strict religious teachings.
Former member Farid recounted that his two-year-old daughter, sent to a charity home, became malnourished and withdrawn. Another member, Amir, discovered his four-year-old son had been abused and injured by caretakers.
Life inside GISBH was tightly controlled. Married couples in GISBH had to apply for scheduled conjugal visits, with Viagra provided and leaders sometimes demanding details about the encounters.
The group’s media narrative was tightly controlled through its own TV station, glorifying its leaders. Experts, including Dr Azmil Tayeb from Universiti Sains Malaysia, have labelled GISBH a cult due to its manipulation, exclusivity, and harsh penalties for members who left.