Fatwa on GISB to be gazetted soon, says Selangor Exco

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor State Fatwa Committee's decision to declare the practices and beliefs of GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB) as deviating from true teachings of Islam is expected to be gazetted soon, said state Islamic Affairs and Cultural Innovation Committee chairman Dr Mohammad Fahmi Ngah.

He said that the decision would be brought before the State Executive Council Meeting (MMKN) for discussion before it was forwarded to the State Legal Adviser for the gazetting process.

"We will raise this matter at the MMKN, and if all members agree, it will subsequently be submitted to the State Legal Adviser for the gazetting of the fatwa.

"It will then be gazetted as a state government enactment and tabled (as a motion) in the upcoming State Legislative Assembly sitting," he told reporters when met at the Selangor Innovation Festival 2024 here today.

Last Thursday (Oct 3), the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, consented to the latest fatwa issued by the Selangor State Fatwa Committee, declaring that the leaders, followers, employees, or members of GISB and its affiliates have deviated from the true teachings of Islam.

The Selangor Royal Office, in a statement on its Facebook page, announced that the decision was made because GISB members were believed to still be practising the "Aurad Muhammadiah" or the "Zikir Agung" ritual propagated by the Darul Arqam group which had been declared deviant from the true teachings of Islam according to Gazette No. 54, published on Feb 4, 1993.

In the meantime, Mohammad Fahmi said all GISB business chains in Selangor would be closed once the fatwa was enforced, while asserting that this decision would not adversely affect the Malays' economy, despite claims made by some quarters.

"This group is not the primary driver of the Malays' economy. I really don't understand how people can accept their methods of generating income, especially given the issues of torture and child abuse involved.

"Their employees haven't received their salaries and GISB has never paid taxes or zakat. We must understand this and the state government will not compromise," he said.

-- BERNAMA

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