Police rescue 402 children after sex abuse allegations at Islamic welfare homes in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia Associated Press —

Malaysian authorities on Wednesday rescued 402 children and arrested 171 suspects after raiding 20 welfare homes linked to an Islamic business group, in which children were exploited and sexually abused, the national police chief said.

Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said the raids were conducted after investigations into allegations of child abandonment, deviant teachings and sexual assault at the homes, run by the Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings.

Some 201 boys and 201 girls, aged between 1 to 17 years, were rescued from 18 homes in central Selangor state and two in southern Negeri Sembilan state, he said. The 171 suspects — 66 men and 105 women — included religious teachers and caretakers, he said.

Children were sexually abused not only by the caretakers but were also forced to do the same to each other at the facilities, Razarudin said in a televised news conference.

“Those who were sick were not allowed to seek medical attention until their condition became critical,” he said. Some young children were also burnt with a hot spoon when they made mistakes, and caretakers had touched the children’s bodies as if to conduct medical checks, he said.

Police believed that Global Ikhwan exploited the children and used religious sentiments to collect donations, he said.

Investigations showed that the children at the welfare homes belonged to members of the Global Ikhwan group, placed by their parents at the homes since they were infants, he said. The children would undergo medical assessment amid ongoing investigations, he added.

According to its website, Global Ikhwan was founded by Ashaari Mohamad, who headed the Islamic sect Al Arqam which was deemed