KUALA LUMPUR — The crackdown on Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB) Holdings was criticised by some as having come too late, given that the beliefs behind it have been around for over five decades under different corporate entities.
Police, however, have said that former members who lodged police reports later retracted them, suggesting a climate of fear within the organisation among members who disagreed with their leaders.
What allows groups like GISB, which has roots in the banned Al-Arqam movement, to have thrived for so long, growing to over 400 business outlets in 20 countries with more than 5,000 staff employed in 25 subsidiaries?
Intercultural specialist Asma Abdullah said cultural assumptions close to the heart of Malay society could have contributed to the group’s longevity and apparent delayed action against it.
One of these assumptions is that obedience is required to figures who claim spiritual authority over followers.
Collectivist societies, which prioritise the group over the individual, also place high value on harmony, hierarchy, shame (maruah), collectivism and religion, all of which shape the emergence and image of cult-like groups as well as their function.
“As Malay society highly values religious piety, cults can disguise themselves as religious movements, making it harder for outsiders or authorities to detect or criticise them without being seen as attacking religious freedom,” Asma told Scoop.
The tension between protecting individual rights and upholding religious freedom becomes evident when cult leaders manipulate religious and cultural values to maintain control over followers.
Abuses within cults, she added, may go undetected for years due to the hierarchical, collectivist and religious nature of Malay society.
“In Malay culture especially, the cultural dimensions of hierarchy and shame play a significant role in discouraging people from questioning authority or challenging social norms.
“In societies where deference to authority is culturally embedded and maintaining face (avoiding shame) is a high priority, individuals may feel pressure to conform rather than speak out,” she added.
She noted that such pressure can lead to situations where harmful practices go unchallenged, particularly in religious or communal contexts, as questioning leadership could be seen as disrespectful or destabilising.
Cult members, she said, may view their participation in such movements as a way to maintain communal harmony, which is highly valued in collectivist societies.
While a strong desire for group identity normally causes members to seek safety within cults while trusting their leader’s guidance and care, such societal structures could also lay the foundation for cult leaders to exploit their position, potentially leading to manipulation, coercion and criminal behaviour.
“(GISB’s) alleged involvement in child abuse and sexual exploitation underscores how such (offences) can be hidden under the guise of communal wellbeing and religious authority,” she said.
“The power hierarchy within the group allowed the leader to exercise control over followers (while) the culture of deference to authority likely discouraged individuals from reporting or resisting abuse.”
Previously, the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) said action against GISB had already begun in February 2019.
Then-Jakim director-general Datin Hakimah Mohd Yusoff said since then, there had been 12 meetings, workshops, special task forces and collaborations with national security agencies such as the National Security Council, Home Ministry and police over the matter.
After recent police raids uncovered sexual and physical abuse of children at care homes linked to GISB, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain denied accusations of delayed action, saying that while police had investigated 41 reports on GISB since 2011, it only made arrests now after receiving credible evidence.
The multi-agency probe into GISB, dubbed Op Global, was launched on September 11 this year beginning with raids on 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negri Sembilan police linked to the group over allegations of child abuse and exploitation.
Nearly 600 victims, some as young as a year old, have been rescued, while eight people to date have been charged, including for child abuse and criminal intimidation.
Does freedom of religion come into play?
The raids on GISB have moved some to comment on social media that groups should be allowed to believe and practice whatever they want.
However, University Malaya’s faith and Islamic thought department lecturer Alwani Ghazali questions if religious freedom remains the paramount concern if criminal allegations are involved.
Cult-like movements that break the law not only pose a national security issue, but also threaten individual freedom, given the authoritarian-like structure of their groups.
“The role of cult leaders in managing members’ affairs can also be perceived as a dictatorship over followers and manipulation of them for (the leader’s) own self-interest,” Alwani told Scoop.
“The impacts are apparent in the case of GISB – disrespectful of human intellect, individual freedom and dignity, (exploitative) human labour, child mental abuse and the list goes on.
“What does religious freedom mean when it is detrimental to human dignity, safety, security and sanctity?” she asked.
Alwani also cautioned that the “cult” label should not be used liberally, and movements must be investigated fairly before assigning the designation.
Investigating movements require complex evidence-gathering that involves the jurisdiction of different bodies, she added. Religious teachings can be utilised as a source of reference, while enforcement authorities would focus on security concerns.
How religion is taught
When asked if the way religious education is taught in schools could be a factor in drawing people to cults, Alwani cautioned against pinning the blame on pedagogy.
She said tradition of Islamic scholarship is “in-depth, intellectually stimulating and sophisticated”, although teachers’ approaches differ from one individual to another, creating different experiences and effects for different students.
“There are smart religious teachers who are creative, encourage critical thinking and inculcate both wisdom and maturity in children, (but) perhaps their number is small,” she said.
“It is also a misperception and erroneous to link deviant teachings to pedagogy of religious teachings in public schools, since most who were involved in cults and deviant teachings did not get a proper education on Islam as a religion from authentic sources and credible teachers,” she added. – October 6, 2024