Al-Arqam: deviant sect or political threat?

 

Police claim GISBH, led by CEO Nasiruddin Ali, practised beliefs introduced by Ashaari Muhammad’s banned Al-Arqam movement.

PETALING JAYA: 

Over the past month much discussion has centred around the activities of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH), with questions raised over its connections to 20 welfare homes across the country from where 402 children were rescued by the authorities.

According to information released by the police, health screenings conducted on the rescued children suggested that at least 13 had been sodomised while several others claimed they were forced to carry out sexual assaults.

GISBH initially denied operating the homes and rejected the abuse allegations. However, its CEO Nasiruddin Ali later admitted that 

one or two cases

 of sodomy had occurred within the organisation.

Several other GISBH-run premises nationwide have been raided since then, leading to the arrests of the company’s top leadership and the freezing of various bank accounts.

Investigations also uncovered that GISBH members were practicing the Aurad Muhammadiah, a meditation linked to the Al-Arqam movement, a religious group banned in 1994 for its deviant teachings. Leaflets and books promoting Al-Arqam founder Ashaari Muhammad’s teachings were uncovered during the raids.

FMT takes a closer look at the origins of the Al-Arqam movement, its beliefs, and the controversies surrounding claims of its deviant teachings and practices.

Origins

Al-Arqam began as a Sufi-influenced Islamic movement in 1968, led by religious teacher Ashaari. Initially active in PAS, Ashaari became disillusioned by the party’s political priorities and shifted his focus to Islamic principles.

He went on to establish a self-sustaining village in Sungai Penchala complete with a mosque, school, and businesses, all of which operated based on principles derived from Ashaari’s teachings.

Followers lived in socialist-style communes, emphasising autarky and equality, where income and aid were distributed based on need rather than occupation.

According to Universiti Sains Malaysia professor Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, the movement stemmed from Ashaari’s desire 

to combat the moral, political, economic, and cultural degradation

 of Malay-Muslims in the 1960s and the 

apparent unwillingness of political and religious leaders to address the situation.

Ashaari, also known as 

Abuya

 or 

father

 to his followers, led the movement as it grew significantly between the 1970s and the 1990s, despite facing hostility. It was reported that the group even had 7,000 members in the civil service as of 1994.

Fauzi, whose research includes political Islam and Islamist movements, told FMT Al-Arqam’s appeal lay in offering a 

third way

 between Umno, viewed as hypocritical and corrupt, and PAS, seen as anti-development.

“It operated outside the conventional political and economic system. It did not participate in electoral politics, nor did it subscribe to conventional banking practices.

Its economy was based on sacrifice, hard work and devotion to the struggle (perjuangan). Its political and economic behaviour was therefore inherently subversive to the capitalistic and democratic systems of modern Malaysia,

 he said.

Government persecution

In 1986, religious authorities raised concerns about a book written by Ashaari, which suggested that Prophet Muhammad could be physically encountered, leading to its ban. Ashaari defied the ban, left Malaysia, and challenged the authorities while publishing books defending his movement.

Allegations of unIslamic practices, such as Ashaari’s claims of divine connections and magical powers, increased scrutiny on the movement. He was accused of attempting to form an Islamic government and stirred controversy by predicting the fall of then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration.

In 1994, the National Fatwa Council deemed Al-Arqam a deviant organisation, leading to its ban. However, Fauzi suggested that there were some political motivations in this.

“Umno politicians had used religion for selfish political purposes, specifically to safeguard its position as the sole protector of Malay-Muslims, which was being threatened by Al-Arqam’s rising influence.

The trigger (for the ban) was a tabloid opinion poll that presented Ashaari as a credible alternative to Mahathir as prime minister,

 he said.

At the time, then inspector-general of police Abdul Rahim Noor even compared Ashaari to cult leaders like Jim Jones and David Koresh. In 1978, Jones, founder of the People’s Temple in Guyana, led a mass murder-suicide of some 900 followers, dubbed the Jonestown Massacre.

Meanwhile, in 1993, Koresh led a 51-day standoff in Waco, Texas between his Branch Davidians sect and US federal agents, which ended in a fire that engulfed the community and claimed 86 lives.

Terrorist death squads?

Al-Arqam’s influence extended beyond Malaysia, reaching countries like Indonesia and Thailand.

Fauzi said allegations of its deviance were soon overshadowed by accusations from the Islamic affairs division of the Prime Minister’s Department that the group had formed a 313-man 

suicide army

 in Bangkok with the aim of seizing power in Malaysia.

However, Thai authorities denied this claim after investigations found no concrete evidence, according to the Bangkok Post.

“The allegations by Mahathir, prior to the 1994 clampdown, that Al-Arqam was maintaining a suicide squad called the Badar Army, were slander, for which neither Mahathir nor the Malaysian government has formally apologised.

It was not just a tactic to foment hatred against the group, but rather a propaganda exercise to prepare Malaysians for the wholesale banning of the group,

 he said.

A week before the fatwa was issued, Abdullah Fahim, chief research officer at the Islamic affairs division, admitted to reporters that the 

suicide army

 claim was 

a propaganda exercise to prepare people for a comprehensive fatwa

, reported Sabah’s Daily Express.

However, Fauzi said the admission went unnoticed as the Sabahan newspaper’s circulation was limited and unlikely to reach Malay-Muslims in the peninsula. He added that Al-Arqam was an easy target due to its non-violent nature, as it submitted to authorities without resistance.

On the other hand, Universiti Malaya professor Abu Hanifah Haris pointed out that, unlike other Islamic revival movements, Al-Arqam lacked a military branch.

“There wasn’t a military wing trying to form its own government. This is unlike other movements in the region, such as Jemaah Islamiyah or the Al-Ma’unah movement, which raided military camps and seized weapons, causing security issues in the past.

Al-Arqam focused more on economic struggles, or jihad, as their goal. That’s why they were able to produce a variety of products, not just food,

 he told FMT.

Detention and public renouncement

The top leadership of Al-Arqam was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in September 1994, leading to the closure of its schools and businesses.

The following month, Ashaari appeared on national television to denounce his movement as deviant, and pledged to disband it.

Suaram co-founder R Sivarasa, however, told FMT the confession may have been made under duress, adding that this was a 

regular feature

 of the ISA. However, he said none of those who confessed had publicly reported being tortured.

The movement’s commune settlements were closed, and former members were prohibited from intermingling to prevent its revival.

Ashaari was placed under house arrest until October 2004 and died six years later, but the movement persisted through organisations founded by his widow and followers, including Rufaqa’ Corporation (1997-2007), and more recently, GISBH. - FMT