马来西亚一家具规模的跨国商业机构“全球兄弟服务与商业控股”（简称全球兄弟）9月爆出惊人丑闻。

截至9月下旬，警方从全球兄弟下辖的儿童福利院救出了大约600名少年儿童。这些少年儿童相信都是全球兄弟成员的子女。他们被强迫劳动、性侵害、虐待，也在精神上被洗脑与控制。

全球兄弟的资产约3亿2500万令吉（约9976万新元），业务遍布亚洲以及欧洲。它到底是一家怎么样的企业？是不是邪教？为什么能长期犯罪而不被揭发？过去二三十年里，马来西亚社会日益宗教化与保守化。全球兄弟爆出的这场丑闻，应该引起怎样的注意？

这期的早报播客《东谈西论》，听主持人韩咏红和《联合早报》吉隆坡特派员萧郡瑜及《联合早报》国际新闻组第二主任吴汉钧解析轰动马来西亚的全球兄弟性侵虐童案。

延伸阅读：

• 回教福利院数百儿童证实被虐 马国元首促警彻查
• 马回教局将研究“全球兄弟”是否为异端

In September, Malaysia's Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB) Holdings was thrust into the spotlight following a shocking scandal involving the abuse of children in their welfare homes. Malaysian police have rescued hundreds of children who were subjected to forced labor, sexual abuse, and physical mistreatment. 

Established in 2010, GISB is a Muslim conglomerate that has assets totalling around RM325 million (S$99.8 million) with operations spanning Asia and Europe. The company has been linked to the now-defunct Malaysia-based Al-Arqam religious sect, which was banned by the Malaysian government in 1994. The scandal has exposed systemic failures in child welfare oversight and highlighted the impact of societal norms that allowed such abuses to go unchecked for years. 

In this episode of Global Heartbeat, host Han Yonghong is joined by Lianhe Zaobao’s Second Foreign Editor, Ng Hon Kuan and Kuala Lumpur correspondent Seoow Juin Yee. They delve into the details of the scandal, and discuss its broader implications in Malaysia.

Hosted by Lianhe Zaobao’s Associate Editor, Han Yong Hong, Global Heartbeat is a Mandarin weekly news and current affairs podcast that is updated every Tuesday, 7.00 PM SGT. It is available on zaobao.sg, Apple Podcast, Spotify and other podcast platforms.