GISBH’s worldwide aspiration: A RM325m empire spanning the globe from Sarajevo to Saudi Arabia and the UK

GISBH’s worldwide aspiration: A RM325m empire spanning the globe from Sarajevo to Saudi Arabia and the UK

A general view of the business operations under Global Ikhwan Services & Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH) at Subang Impian in Shah Alam taken on September 15, 2024. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

Friday, 27 Sep 2024 11:00 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 — Operating 415 business outlets across 20 countries, Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings (GISBH) — the conglomerate at the centre of shocking child abuse allegations — reportedly owns assets worth RM325 million.

The organisation, established in 2010 from the remnants of the now-defunct Al-Arqam which later rebranded through Rufaqa Corp, manages a diverse business portfolio, including trading, manufacturing, food business, agribusiness (poultry, livestock and fishery), education and biotechnology.


GISBH has 5,346 employees under 25 subsidiaries with an annual turnover of RM187 million, its now-detained executive chairman and CEO Datuk Nasiruddin Mohd told The Malaysian Reserve last month.

Malay Mail takes a closer look at some of GISBH’s prized assets:


Desert oasis in Saudi Arabia

In 2023, GISBH reportedly spent more than 6.5 million riyals (RM7.7 million) to develop a three-acre desert oasis Wadi Berkat Syarikat Global Ikhwan Hudaibiyah at the Hudaibiyah valley — a historical landmark in Islam located in the outskirts of Mecca.

It serves as a one-stop agrotourism resort offering accommodation and sports activities to pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia.

Wadi Berkat Hudaibiyah had garnered over 200,000 visitors since its opening, The Malaysian Reserve reported last month.

A Google check found the resort listed as “temporarily closed” while its Facebook page no longer has any posts or pictures.


Real estate in Australia

In December 2016, GISBH purchased 44.5 hectares of land in Wyong Creek, New South Wales — its first real estate acquisition in Australia since the company established its presence there 34 years ago.

The company harboured plans to develop the property — located about 80km from Sydney — into an eco-tourism facility and for livestock farming, Berita Harian reported in 2016.

A now-deleted video on the GISBH-owned ikhwanews.com portal also revealed that the company had:

• three staff quarters and four business premises in West Australia (at Perth City, Canning Vale and Katanning)
• three staff quarters and three business premises at East Australia (Sydney and Wyong Creek, New South Wales)

In August 2024, The Malaysian Reserve reported that GISBH also owns a 48.56ha estate in Perth.


Hotel, villa and land in Sarajevo

Nasiruddin told Mingguan Malaysia last month that GISBH had acquired a hotel at the country’s capital city, Sarajevo.

Boasting a strong presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the company received the Award for Remarkable Contribution to the Global Halal Industry at the Sarajevo Halal Fair in 2019.

In 2021, Nasiruddin also reportedly visited an 11-acre land worth RM500,000 at the Praca district — located 70km from a villa owned by GISBH in Sarajevo, according to a video posted on the Anjang Muor blog linked to GISBH. The land was reportedly being considered for poultry farming.


Restaurant chains

GISBH operates 12 restaurant chains both at home and abroad, according to its website which is currently placed “under maintenance”.

These eateries include:

• Ikhwan Delights in Sungai Penchala
• GH Corner restaurants in Jakarta and Cairo
• Nur Muhammad Cafe in Sydney
• Nur Malaysia restaurants in Makkah, Dubai, Paris, London, Amman and the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent.
• Love & Care Restaurant in Bangkok and Mihrimah Restaurant in Singapore.

The Mihrimah Restaurant in Singapore, however, clarified that GISBH serves only as a business consultant and has no direct business relationship with the outlet.

Meanwhile, the GISBH restaurant in the UK was reportedly operating as usual amid the crackdown on the conglomerate, Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Datuk Zakri Jaafar told The Star on Monday.

The Malaysian Reserve also reported that GISBH has partnered with Saudi Arabian conglomerate Alamoudi Beverage to produce export-class Ikhwan brand fresh beverages in Mecca.


Expansions across South-east Asia

In recent years, GISBH has also spread its business to other South-east Asian countries, such as the Philippines and Thailand, through the help of local Muslim leaders.

GISBH opened a Nur Malaysia café at the Marawi City in the Philippines in August 2023 and earlier this year, the company launched a vegetable planting programme, opened a food kiosk and set up a halal chicken slaughterhouse at the city.

The conglomerate has embarked on collaborations to revitalise abandoned paddy fields in southern Thailand and launched the Ikhwan Healthy Chicken Project, which was projected to operate in all five southern Thailand provinces, The Malaysian Reserve reported last month.

Nasiruddin also told Mingguan Malaysia last month that GISBH still maintains cordial ties with a former Thai deputy prime minister and rears chicken at his property.