Penang, Perlis, Selangor, Pahang, Sabah and Melaka had previously stated the practices of the group as deviant as they went against the teachings of Islam.

Johor Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Fared Khalid said the state’s stand would be based on the decision of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs’s (MKI) muzakarah committee, which declared GISBH’s teachings as deviant and straying from Islamic teachings, Bernama reported.

He said MAINJ, through the Johor Islamic religious department and the Johor mufti department, was currently reviewing MKI’s decision, which will serve as a clear guideline and will be adopted by the Johor government.

“We will certainly follow this guideline (by MKI) as Johor is among the states that have yet to issue a fatwa on GISBH.

“We need at least one month to carry out the process properly,” he told reporters at a MAINJ youth engagement programme in Semerah, Batu Pahat, today.

On Thursday, MKI’s muzakarah committee chairman Nooh Gadut said that GISBH’s teachings, beliefs and ideology had been declared deviant, a decision made during its meeting held from Sept 24 to 26 after it was convinced and satisfied with the arguments and evidence presented by researchers.

GISBH is being investigated for child abuse, sexual abuse, human trafficking, money laundering and deviant Islamic teachings.

The company previously said it had discarded its former image as Al-Arqam’s business wing and is positioned as a multinational company.

GISBH made headlines on Sept 11 when police raided at least 20 welfare homes linked to it and rescued more than 600 children who were believed to have been exploited. Police said some of them were sexually abused.

More than 400 people associated with the group, including its top management, have been detained in operations to clamp down on the company’s activities across the country.