KOTA BARU: All but one of the 26 children of the chief executive officer of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd work for the company.
A daughter of Datuk Nasiruddin Mohd Ali, who has four wives, told the New Straits Times today that they worked for the company without pay, but most of their needs were met.
The 29-year-old woman, Nasiruddin's fifth child from his second wife, said one of her older sisters married outside the group and did not work for the company, but remained close to the family.
The woman, who declined to be named, was among the 30 people from three families — including children and the elderly — briefly detained by the authorities during a raid on a three-house compound in Kampung Panji near here yesterday.
The woman, who was met at the home, said she usually lived with her 60-year-old mother and family in Kuantan, but was brought to Kampung Panji in a rush last Wednesday.
A week after authorities raided 20 care homes in Negri Sembilan and Selangor on suspicion of abusing and exploiting the children in their charge.
The sprawling compound set against a river was where authorities found buried in the riverbank books and printed materials that are allegedly linked to the teachings of banned deviant sect Al-Arqam and its founder Ashaari Muhammad.
The woman, who was calm and collected when speaking to the NST, appeared to distance herself from the materials when asked about them.
"We came here with my brother and other siblings and we did not know about the books which were buried in the river at the back of this house until police raided the place.
"I was informed that the books belonged to my aunt who was 'Abuya's wife," she said, referring to Ashaari by the term then Al-Arqam members called their leader.
The group was banned by Malaysian authorities in 1994 for being deviant.
It is learnt that the aunt is her mother's sister.
Asked why she was brought to Panji, she simply said: 'Abang bawak' (My brother brought me here).
She said that after the raid yesterday, her family as well as her nephew's family were brought by the police to a temporary centre in Pengkalan Chepa for documentation and questioning.
"Police have recorded our statements including checks on my children's birth certificates for a few hours.
"They treated us well while at the centre. We were allowed to return home around 9pm last night," she said.
She added that her brother, who brought her from Kuantan, has been arrested by police.
The woman, who has four children and is married to a GISB member, said the women in the family would prepare kuih to be sold at the company's eateries to support themselves and would ask their husbands for money if more was needed.
The raid on the compound in Kampung Panji began at 6.30am yesterday and concluded at 9.30am.
The compound is where Nasiruddin would stay when he visits Kelantan, but is also used by other GISB members when necessary.
The operation also involved the Social Welfare Department and the Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department.