KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A police swoop on 20 child welfare homes in Malaysia where hundreds of children were allegedly sexually abused has exposed weaknesses in child protection in the country and cast a spotlight on the Islamic business group that ran the homes.
Malaysian authorities rescued 402 children, half of them boys and the rest girls, from 20 homes run by Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings, a group aiming to promote an Islamic way of life, during the police sting Wednesday. Police detained 171 suspects, including religious teachers and caretakers.
The business group was founded by Ashaari Mohamad, who headed the Islamic sect Al Arqam — a cult that was deemed heretical and banned by the government in 1994. He died in 2010, but the group has continued to flourish.
Details of alleged serious abuse at the homes have sparked outrage and shock in the predominantly Muslim nation. Activists called for all child centers to be regulated and monitored, and for the Welfare Department to strengthen enforcement on religious institutions.
“The horrific sexual and physical abuse that has been reported... is a major wake-up call. It demands that we re-evaluate the quality and scope of our child protection services,” a group of 38 child activists, rights groups and social workers said in a joint statement.
National police chief Razarudin Ismail has said some of the children, aged from one to 17, were believed sodomized by their guardians and also taught to sexually abuse each other. He said they were denied medical treatment and burnt with hot metal spoons as punishment for being disobedient.
The children, whose parents are Global Ikhwan employees, were placed at the homes since they were infants and believed to be indoctrinated from young to be loyal to the group, police have said. The children were also believed to have been exploited to collect public donations. The case is being investigated for sexual abuse, child neglect and human trafficking.
Razarudin was quoted by national Bernama news agency as saying Friday that 49 children under five years old, and another 10 who were autistic or have disabilities have been handed to the Welfare Department. The rest are still undergoing medical screening. He said so far at least 13 teens were found to have been sodomized while 172 have long-term physical and emotional injuries.
Razarudin said the children were home-schooled and has no formal education. He said some of them have not seen their parents for years, as the company sent them to work abroad. Police are investigating whether the children were separated from their parents voluntarily or forced by the company.
UNICEF Malaysia said the children would need long-term medical and psychological support for the trauma they experienced.
“As long as children in Malaysia reside in unregulated institutional care settings, they will remain at heightened risk of suffering violence and abuse,” said its Malaysian representative Robert Gash.
Mokhtar Tajudin, a spokesman for Global Ikhwan, told the Associated Press on Friday that the homes were not directly run by the group. He did not elaborate. Global Ikhwan in a statement denied the sexual abuse allegations, calling it an attempt by certain parties to tarnish the group’s business reputation.
Global Ikhwan owns mini-markets, bakeries, restaurants, pharmacies, properties and other businesses in some 20 countries. The company employs some 5,000 people.
Global Ikhwan shot in the limelight in 2011 when it formed an “Obedient Wives Club” that sparked controversy by teaching women to be “good sex workers” to keep their husbands from straying.
Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, a political science professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia who has conducted research into Global Ikhwan, said the group was an “economic success story" and had a decade ago agreed to reform and shed ties with Al-Arqam.
He said that although Al Arqam communal villages were abolished by the government decades ago, many followers shifted to urban homes but were still believed to be practising a form of communal living. Children were sent to such homes to obtain Islamic teachings as parents work for the company, he said.
Few details are known on its religious teachings or how company is run behind closed doors. Its corporate video showed pictures of Global Ikhwan top officials with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other government leaders, an indication of its influence.
The Children’s Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, Farah Nini Dusuki, questioned how the homes could have run undetected for years. Islamic authorities in central Selangor state, where the majority of the raided homes are located, have said only two of the homes were registered as Islamic schools.
She also voiced concerns of possible unreported abuse cases due to Global Ikhwan's nationwide network. Islamic authorities have said they are monitoring Global Ikhwan amid concerns over attempts to revive the Arqam movement.
“Who knows how many children suffer the same fate out there and also how long they have to endure this abuse before being exposed," said lawmaker Syerleena Abdul Rashid.
Often hailed as a moderate Muslim nation, Malaysia is wary of groups that preach Islam not sanctioned by the government because of fears they could cause unrest. Muslims account for two-thirds of its 34 million people.
This photo shows a shop owned by Global Ikhwan, an Islamic business group linked to a banned religious cult, in suburb of central Selangor state, Malaysia Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Eileen Ng)
This photo shows buisiness shops owned by Global Ikhwan, an Islamic business group linked to a banned religious cult, in suburb of central Selangor state, Malaysia Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Eileen Ng)
This photo shows a market owned by Global Ikhwan, an Islamic business group linked to a banned religious cult, in suburb of central Selangor state, Malaysia Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Eileen Ng)
BERLIN (AP) — Florian Wirtz starred and Patrik Schick scored four goals as Bayer Leverkusen routed Freiburg 5-1 on Saturday to keep the pressure on Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich over the winter break.
Wirtz, who has yet to extend his Leverkusen contract, set up a hat trick for Schick and scored his seventh league goal of the season.
Leverkusen dominated but needed patience before Schick broke the deadlock with a chip over the goalkeeper right before the break.
Wirtz, who’d played Schick through, score after the break when he displayed brilliant close control to elude a defender before firing the ball inside the near post from a narrow angle.
Vincenzo Grifo pulled one back four minutes later, but Wirtz floated in a precise cross for Schick to head Leverkusen’s third in the 67th, then laid the ball back for Schick to fire Leverkusen’s fourth in the 74th.
“For a striker, it's a dream to have this player behind you,” Schick said of Wirtz.
Schick scored again with a header to a corner three minutes later — the only goal that didn’t involve Wirtz.
Leverkusen stayed four points behind Bayern after its eighth straight win across all competitions.
Leverkusen resumes its league defense at Borussia Dortmund on Jan. 10, while Bayern visits Borussia Mönchengladbach on Jan. 11.
Brazilian goalkeeper Kauã Santos endured a game to forget as his Eintracht Frankfurt was shocked by 10-man Mainz 3-1.
Frankfurt had 34 shots at goal compared to nine by the visitor, which played with a man less from the 21st after captain Nadiem Amiri was sent off for catching Ellyes Skhiri’s right ankle with his studs.
Santos had already conceded an unfortunate own goal. The 'keeper played out a short pass to Skhiri, who was immediately under pressure from two Mainz players. Skhiri sent the ball looping back toward Santos, who deflected it onto the crossbar, from where it rebounded back off Santos’ arm and in.
Mainz’s Paul Nebel then scored with a deflected shot for 2-0, and Santos was at fault again when a botched pass invited another Mainz attack. Nebel grabbed his second goal in the 58th.
Rasmus Kristensen, who struck the crossbar in the first half, scored Frankfurt’s consolation in the 75th.
“We were already there for Kauã as a team on the field,” Frankfurt defender Robin Koch said of Santos' bad day. “He's a young player, these things happen. But he's a good guy, he'll come out of it and the same will help him with his development.”
Regular goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and reserve Jens Grahl were out with illness.
Johannes Eggestein fired promoted St. Pauli to a 1-0 win at Stuttgart, last season’s runner-up. Stuttgart had won its last four games across all competitions.
Union Berlin’s winless run stretched to nine games across all competitions as Bo Svensson’s team slumped to a 4-1 defeat at Werder Bremen.
Holstein Kiel ended its five-game losing run by routing Augsburg 5-1, and Borussia Mönchengladbach won at Hoffenheim 2-1.
There were tributes with silences before all the games for the victims of an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg the night before.
“There are always more important things than football,” Freiburg coach Christian Günter said.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso applauds before the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)
Leverkusen's Patrik Schick, second left, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)
Leverkusen's Patrik Schick, left, scores the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)
Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso before the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)
Leverkusen's Patrik Schick celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)
Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz, center, scores his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)
Leverkusen's Patrik Schick, second left, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)
Stuttgart'sAnthony Rouault , left, and St. Pauli's Carlo Boukhalfa, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and FC St. Pauli, in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)
Hoffenheim'sValentin Gendrey, left, and Moenchengladbach's Robin Hack, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Borussia Moenchengladbach in Sinsheim, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Jan-Philipp Strobel/dpa via AP)
Werder's Derrick Koehn, left, and Berlin's Rani Khedira, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and 1. FC Union Berlin in Bremen, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Carmen Jaspersen./dpa via AP)
Augsburg's Marius Wolf, left, challenges for the ball with Kiel's Finn Porath, centre, and Shuto Machino during the Bundesliga soccer between Holstein Kiel and FC Augsburg in Kiel, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Frank Molter /dpa via AP)
The Kiel defense blocks a free kick from Augsburg's Phillip Tietz, third from right, during the Bundesliga soccer between Holstein Kiel and FC Augsburg in Kiel, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Frank Molter /dpa via AP)
Stuttgart's Yannik Keitel, right, reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and FC St. Pauli, in Stuttgart, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)
Mainz' Danny da Costa, left, and Frankfurt's Farees Chaibi, right challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
Mainz' scorer Paul Nebel, left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
Mainz' head coach Bo Henriksen gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
Mainz' Paul Nebel, front, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
Frankfurt's head coach Dino Toppmoeller gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Eintracht Frankfurt and FSV Mainz 05 in Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Uwe Anspach/dpa via AP)
