A 34-year-old Singaporean woman recently stepped forward to recount the abuse she experienced for 14 years after being forced to marry into the controversial Malaysian conglomerate, Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB) Holdings.
GISB has been making global headlines since September, facing allegations such as sexual abuse, human trafficking, and religious deviance.
The woman, who chose to go by the pseudonym Zoey, told Channel News Asia (CNA) that she was forced to marry the son of an influential GISB member at the age of 17.
For 14 years, she went on to have nine children while dealing with her husband’s abuse, which included being beaten while she was pregnant and being forced upon for up to five times a day.
“I was a sex slave to my husband,” Zoey said.
Zoey shared that her parents had been GISB members since she was a child.
She went to school in Singapore until she was 10, before moving to a GISB-ran hostel in Indonesia and then to a hostel in Selangor where she lived with other teens in 2003.
Children in the group, including Zoey, did not receive formal education and were only allowed to read materials about Al-Arqam founder, Ashaari Muhammad.
When Zoey’s parents enrolled her in a private school in Singapore, she faced strong opposition and ostracism from GISB members, but the family stood by their decision.
Attending school gradually made Zoey question the group’s teachings, and when she began speaking out, she was placed in “isolation” for being too outspoken.
At 17, she voiced that she wanted out of the organisation after realising there were many things she disagreed with.
However, voicing out her disagreement only put a nail in the coffin for Zoey.
To “save” her from rebelliousness and external influence, GISB forced her to marry the son of an active and influential member in 2007.
She was married without the presence or the permission of her parents, which violated Islamic law in both Singapore and Malaysia.
GISB threatened to expel her mother, a devout follower, from the community if Zoey refused to marry the man, who was also 10 years her senior.
A week after the wedding, the man started kicking and hitting Zoey and continued to do this even when she became pregnant with his child.
Image courtesy of Canva for illustrative purposes only.
“While I was pregnant all the way until I gave birth, whenever he wants to have sex, at any time, I have to say yes,” Zoey added.
Three years into the marriage, Zoey went to the police and attempted to leave her husband, but her father-in-law urged her to rescind the report, assuring her that his son would change.
“He also said that a divorce will bring shame to (GISB),” Zoey added.
Again, in 2014, after having four children, she tried to divorce him but was discouraged by her own mother.
Zoey continued to speak out about her abuse over the years, even showing a photo of her injuries to her mother and GISB’s senior leadership, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.
“(GISB leaders) kept telling me, your husband is your path to heaven,” said Zoey.
She also tried to use contraceptive pills but was dissuaded by other members, who said it went against their beliefs. Subsequently, she went on to have five more children over the next seven years.
Eventually, her husband’s abuse extended to their children, particularly their second daughter who has autism. At times, her husband had reportedly wielded a knife and threatened to kill them.
Despite this, her mother and GISB only told Zoey to be patient.
However, her four eldest daughters began to voice that they wanted out, telling their mother, “If it’s not you who gets beaten up, it’s us. If not us, it’s our younger siblings.”
At the end of 2021, Zoey finally gathered the resolve to leave her husband and make a police report for the safety of her kids.
Eventually, another family member convinced her mother to help her leave the group, and she contacted retired businesswoman Mona Din, who is known for assisting vulnerable individuals in Malaysia.
Zoey and her children were then moved to a safe house for abused women and children, run by a non-government organisation.
She filed for a divorce in 2021, shortly before leaving for Singapore with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Today, Zoey lives with her nine children in Singapore and operates a home-based business.
GISB is a Malaysian conglomerate valued at over S$98 million, with businesses in industries from farming to media and spanning 20 countries.
Source: Google Maps
It was founded by followers of the Al-Arqam Islamic movement that was banned in Malaysia in 1994 due to deviant religious teachings and practices.
Investigation into the conglomerate began on 11 Sep, after reports of child neglect and child sexual abuse at children’s homes associated with it.
Source: Sinar Harian on Facebook
A total of 625 victims, between the ages two and 28, were rescued by Malaysian police, 402 of which are believed to be children of GISB members.
Since then, over 300 arrests, including of several senior executives, have been made in connection with the group’s activities, reports CNA.
Also read: M’sia police rescue 402 children from welfare homes who were abused & sexually assaulted
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Featured image adapted from The Star, Sinar Harian on Facebook
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