KUALA LUMPUR: Former members of GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB) alleged they were brainwashed to believe that the group leaders have been appointed by Prophet Muhammad and Imam Mahdi, and received guidance from the spiritual realm.
One of them, who preferred to be known as Ahmad, 36, said the leaders also claimed that they could communicate with the Prophet through yaqazah (in a conscious state) and all instructions from the leaders must be obeyed.
Ahmad claimed that education at the GISB schools served as a platform to instil undivided devotion among the members, especially children, towards their leaders.
According to him, the self-created curriculum taught at the schools emphasised the words and writings of the leaders, while other subjects, such as Fardu Ain, were taught at a basic level.
"Classroom teachings are only for a short duration and sometimes teachers are unavailable. Other subjects are often taught repeatedly," he told Bernama.
Born in a family that practised the teachings of the al-Arqam group, which was banned in 1994, Ahmad revealed that his father was one of the group leaders.
He said he spent his childhood in the group settlements in Perak before moving to Rawang, Putrajaya, Kedah, Sabah, Sarawak, and eventually to Jordan and Syria.
Ahmad left the congregation in 2011 after studying with several religious teachers who were not members of the organisation.
"I left the company after the death of al-Arqam leader Ashaari Muhammad. At that time the company was led by Ummu Jah, who is also Ashaari's widow," he said.
Another former member of GISB, Latif, in his 30s, said students at GISB schools were taught using books that glorified Ashaari, who was referred to as Abuya (father).
"They claim to be the congregation of truth that will be alongside Imam Mahdi. Everyone has become obsessed. This process didn't happen overnight as it has been going on since al-Arqam time," he said, claiming that he was sent to the GISB schools in Pahang, Selangor and Perak by his parents, whose marriage was arranged by the group.
"The schools were usually empty and students often played during lessons as the lessons were not conducted formally," Latif said, adding that he left GISB at 17 after going to a government-run skills training centre with a friend, which made him realised the importance of taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
Abu Bakar, 36, said he left the organisation in 2010 after realising that he did not have a formal education like other teenagers.
"I wondered why I wasn't studying like other people but was instead asked to fight to meet Imam Mahdi. And because of my curiosity, I decided to leave," he said, adding that he tried to escape several times but was caught and brought back by members of the group.
Abu Bakar said his mother left the group after his father divorced her, according to the leaders' orders, after which the group stopped looking for them.
Police rescued 402 children and teenagers suspected to be victims of labour and sexual exploitation during Op Global raids on Sept 11 mounted on 20 charity homes associated with GISBH in Selangor and Negri Sembilan. The operation also uncovered cases of neglect and abuse, leading to the detention of 171 individuals, including 105 women. -- Bernama