KANGAR, Oct 5 — The Perlis government is working to eliminate the spread of erroneous Islamic teachings as practised by members and associates of Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH) from the roots.

Perlis Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidi said the group, which he described as deviant, must be stopped from expanding its cult-like beliefs that deify individuals under the cloak religion but go against the teachings of Islam as laid down in the Quran and Sunnah.

"This development leads followers to stop using their minds and logic, blindly following what is wrong and misguided,” Harian Metro reported the Muslim cleric as saying today.

"All this is justified with the excuse that (the leader) knows better, as if this group considers themselves representatives of God who can perform miracles,” he added.

He said deviant religious practices is a recurring issue, adding that "history repeats itself because we do not eliminate the root”.

Mohd Asri made these comments after the Zakat Contribution Ceremony for former GISBH members organised by the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council attended by its CEO Mohd Nazim Mohd Noor.

Mohd Asri said the Perlis fatwa places strong efforts in eradicating such deviant teachings down to the roots.

"I am very grateful for everything revealed by the inspector-general of police and also the prime minister, who has mentioned that extreme fanaticism will always be exploited by certain parties to take advantage of others,” he was quoted as saying.

He said that if society wishes to eliminate such cult-like teachings, it must adhere firmly to authentic Islamic studies.

"We must remember that only Prophet Muhammad PBUH is infallible... humans make many mistakes. If this can be instilled in society, we can successfully control the situation regarding fanaticism towards individuals,” he was quoted as saying.

GISBH is a local conglomerate established in 2010 from the remnants of the now-defunct Al Arqam Islamic group that later rebranded itself as a business entity called Rufaqa Corp with diverse businesses ranging from trading, manufacturing, food and beverage, poultry, livestock and fisheries, education and biotechnology.

Police raided 20 welfare homes in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan that were reportedly connected to GISBH members following complaints of deviant religious practices and child exploitation.

Since then, scores of its business outlets across the country have been raided and hundreds of its members and leaders have been arrested, some charged and one sentenced while others remain in police custody pending further investigation.

Over 500 unregistered children have also been rescued from the welfare homes, with some said to have been physically and sexually abused.