Jakim director-general Hakimah Yusoff said this evidence would form the basis of a report to be discussed by the national council of Islamic religious affairs’ muzakarah committee during its meeting from Sept 24-26.
Hundreds of items related to the teachings of Al-Arqam, a cult movement declared deviant by the National Fatwa Council in 1994, were discovered during raids on premises linked to GISBH in Melaka and Kelantan yesterday.
GISBH previously said it had discarded its former image as Al-Arqam’s business wing and is currently positioned as a multinational company.
“The committee’s decision regarding GISBH group’s doctrine will guide state religious authorities in issuing fatwas and enable prosecution in the shariah court,” Hakimah said in a statement.
“Jakim, under the direction of the religious affairs minister (Na’im Mokhtar), is continuously working to ensure that the beliefs and shariah practices of Muslims in this country align with the teachings of Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah.
“Any efforts to tarnish the sanctity of Islamic teachings will be curbed with the cooperation of all parties involved.”
On Friday, Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin said the state fatwa committee concluded that GISBH promotes deviant beliefs and operates businesses in an unIslamic manner.
Asri said the committee concluded that GISBH’s beliefs are a continuation of those adopted by the banned Al-Arqam movement and that they foster a cult-like devotion to its leaders, elevating them to a status comparable to Prophet Muhammad.
Among the practices he highlighted were the blind veneration of leaders, taking blessings from their physical remains, and creating new shariah rulings to justify their activities.
Asri said the committee also found that GISBH’s economic practices do not align with Islamic principles.
The Perlis fatwa follows heightened concerns over GISBH after police raided 20 welfare homes – 18 in Selangor and two in Negeri Sembilan – on Sept 11 and rescued 402 children, some of whom were allegedly sexually abused or taught to assault others.
Police then arrested 171 people, including an ustaz and a hostel warden. Since then a further 155 people have been arrested, with 102 men and 84 women rescued from premises linked to GISBH.
Four men linked to GISBH have since been charged with sexual assault while another man was charged with criminal intimidation for threatening a woman to withdraw a police report she made against the company.