KUALA LUMPUR – Ongoing police investigations into Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISB) have not extended to the defunct Obedient Wives Club (OWC), which sparked controversy in 2011 for promoting marital sex lessons aimed at wives.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain confirmed to Scoop that the probes into GISB have, to date, not implicated the OWC, which was linked to both GISB and the banned deviant sect Al-Arqam before its dissolution in 2015.
“No, (OWC is not involved in the investigations) for now,” Razarudin said briefly when contacted.
The OWC attracted backlash for its remarks on marital relationships and a controversial book advocating that wives should “serve their husbands better than a first-class prostitute.”
The 115-page book was widely criticised by various groups, including Muslim women’s rights organisation Sisters in Islam, the Association of Women for Action and Research, and Singapore’s Islamic Religious Council. Critics argued that the book objectified women and unfairly burdened wives.
In 2011, a Home Ministry representative said the government’s Islamic affairs department had reviewed the book and recommended a ban, warning it could mislead Muslims on acceptable religious practices.
In 2015, former OWC committee member Dr Azlina Jamaluddin revealed that the group had disbanded as part of a rebranding effort following advice from authorities to abandon their previous teachings.
She also clarified that while GISB had established a new initiative, ‘Rumah Poligami Indah Dari Tuhan’ (Beautiful Polygamy Home From God), it was not intended to replace the OWC.
“Some people are against it (polygamy) because they don’t understand it. We formed this (Beautiful Polygamy Home From God) to give understanding, not to ask people to practise polygamy, but its purpose is to educate,” she was quoted as saying by The Malaysian Insider at the time.
The banned Al-Arqam movement, founded by Ashaari Muhammad, was declared illegal by the National Fatwa Council in 1994. Following his detention under the now-abolished Internal Security Act, Ashaari and around 300 Al-Arqam members renounced their beliefs, issuing public apologies to the National Fatwa Council and the Islamic Development Department (Jakim).
Ashaari, referred to by followers as ‘abuya’, or ‘father’ in Arabic, passed away in May 2010. His widow, Hatijah Aam, took control of his business empire and went on to establish the OWC. In 2013, Hatijah and nine other OWC members were detained at Kuala Lumpur International Airport upon their return from Saudi Arabia, accused of attempting to revive Al-Arqam.
On September 11 this year, police launched Op Global, a large-scale operation targeting 20 charity homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan linked to GISB. The operation was triggered by allegations of child exploitation and deviant religious practices.
Since then, over 300 individuals, including senior GISB executives, have been arrested, and 592 children rescued. Numerous business premises owned by the group have also been shut down following police raids. – September 30, 2024