A 42-year-old Malaysian widower made history as the first person in Terengganu to be publicly whipped for repeated khalwat. The punishment took place at Dewan ‘Aasim, Masjid Al-Muktafi Billah Shah, on December 27, according to BERNAMA.
He received 6 strokes of caning for his third khalwat offence, with the punishment delivered on his back in a process that lasted just 2 minutes.
Perlis to introduce public caning
Harian Metro reported that the Perlis state government has plans to strengthen Shariah laws in the future, including introducing public caning for repeat khalwat offenders, similar to what Terengganu did last month.
Perlis Chief Minister, Mohd Shukri Ramli, mentioned that while these plans exist, no final decision has been made yet.
He explained that several things, like reviewing the state’s Islamic Administration Enactment, need to be sorted out before moving forward.
“We’re not there yet because many aspects still need to be looked into, especially changes to the state’s Islamic Administration Enactment. But, God willing, we’ll move in that direction,” he said.
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“It should be seen as educational”
Shukri acknowledged that not everyone might agree with the idea but urged those who don’t to consider the broader context of Islam.
“For those who disagree, think about the wide scope Islam covers. We can discuss and re-evaluate (various aspects) before deciding to implement it,” he said.
Perlis Chief Minister, Mohd Shukri Ramli
He also stressed that strengthening Shariah laws, like public caning for repeat khalwat offenders, should focus more on education than punishment.
“What Terengganu did (caning for khalwat offenders) was more about educating because the offenders were repeat violators before being sentenced to caning. It should be seen as educational, and there are still many other factors we need to consider before doing the same in Perlis,” he explained.
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Also read: SUHAKAM Criticises Shariah Court’s Decision to Enforce Public Caning as Punishment for Khalwat
