Ummu Atiyyah, the eldest daughter of the late founder of Al-Arqam, Ashaari Muhammad, also known as Abuya, made a shocking confession that she was forced to marry a high-ranking leader within the group in 2015.
The marriage is believed to have been orchestrated by her own family to strengthen the organization following her father’s death in 2010.
Ummu claims she was betrayed by her own siblings and forced to become the fourth wife of a man who is much older than her.
“I was forced to marry an old and overweight man who claimed that the marriage was a call from the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Abuya,” she said.
Ummu strongly rejected the marriage but was unable to resist the pressure from her family.
After the marriage, Ummu fled to Jordan and hid in a friend’s house. However, she was tracked down by several of her followers, including family members, who brought her back.
She claims she was physically and emotionally abused, including being separated from her child for two years.
“I was separated from my child, burned with a lighter, confined, and submerged in water multiple times,” Ummu explained about the suffering she endured.
In fact, her own sister was also involved in the abuse, forcing her to undress and beating her.
In her confession, Ummu stated that she had to comply with her husband’s wishes out of fear for her safety.
She claims she was raped because she was forced to engage in relations against her will. After managing to escape from Turkey, she was once again captured and taken to Indonesia, where she faced further abuse before successfully escaping for the second time.
“What I want to convey is that the group is actually full of lust and lacks dignity,” she added.
Ummu also revealed that the organization uses Islamic imagery to gain the trust of the public, but behind the scenes, various immoral misconducts occur.
