When Ashaari passed away in 2010, one of his widows,
Hatijah Aam, took over his empire, but didn’t manage to keep
it out of the limelight for long. In May 2013, she was arrested
when returning from Saudi Arabia on charges of trying to
resurrect the sect through the company.
Hatijah presided over the infamous Obedient Wives
Club – an initiative launched by the female employees of
Global Ikhwan – which called on women to “be obedient
and act like first-class prostitutes” to keep their husbands
from straying. The club attracted widespread condemnation
domestically and internationally, with human rights
watchdogs accusing it of promoting polygamy that was
detrimental to women.
However, those days of controversy are over, according to
current Global Ikhwan CEO, Lokman Hakim, who proudly
shows off pictures of his 27 children on his smartphone –
15 from his first wife, eight from the second, one from the
third, and three from the fourth.
Following the outrage, he and a few hundred
other Global Ikhwan employees attended 500 hours of
“rehabilitation courses”, conducted by the Selangor Islamic
Religious Department, and, in a public ceremony in October
2013, renounced their beliefs.
“We have no more problems with the authorities. You
can see my photos with everyone – politicians, businessmen,
the prime minister, even with the religious authorities,” the
49-year-old Malay man says, visibly content as he navigates
his big Mercedes through the Global Ikhwan estate.
Tucked away in a residential area of Rawang, painted with
the Ikhwan signature colour of grass green, the company’s
premises resemble a self-sufficient commune.
The estate features a prayer room, cafés, a bakery,
restaurants, a health clinic – with a maternity ward – a travel
agent, a clothing store, a small hotel and a recording studio,
where Ikhwan’s entertainment-minded employees produce
music and television dramas. Among the company’s core
businesses is the production of halal food, which it sells in
its supermarkets.
Although Global Ikhwan officially rejected the “deviant”
teachings of Al-Arqam, Lokman says, it maintains the Islamic
business ethics of the original movement, which focus on
the premise of community obligations – “fardu kifayah”.
Consequently, the company charges unusually flexible rates
for the services it provides.“Here we encourage women
to work, because they have to
contribute to the society”
Global Ikhwan CEO Lokman Hakim