Hillarysworld

AN Islamic court's decision to have a Muslim model whipped for drinking beer at a pub has triggered controversy in Malaysia, a multicultural country where such convictions are extremely rare.

Last week, a Sharia or religious court sentenced Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, to six strokes of the cane and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1700) after she pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol in eastern Pahang state last year.

Her conviction created a furore in the nation which is predominantly Muslim, but also home to large Indian and Chinese minorities.

Alcohol is widely available in most parts of the country and Muslims are rarely punished for consuming it.

"The punishment of whipping is defined as torture and hence we should not in any way condone it," said Amnesty International Malaysia executive director Nora Murat.

"This is the wrong way to educate anyone about the religion. When the sin is between her and God, there is always an option of being repentant. It's up to God to decide on her faith, and not people," she said.

Most were stunned that whipping of women was permitted in Malaysia's Islamic courts, which operate alongside civil courts under a dual-track system.

"It's not just unkind, it's unjust," leading women rights activist Ivy Josiah told the New Straits Times newspaper, while Women's Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil reportedly said that while she did not approve of Muslims drinking, she was shocked by the ruling.

Islamic scholars however argued the punishment was necessary to deter other Muslims from drinking.

Harussani Zakaria, an influential mufti or religious scholar, said the punishment was "very lenient'" as Islamic law allows for up to 40 strokes of the cane for any Muslim caught drinking.

"The (punishment) meted out on her is just to shame her and educate her. The judge is doing the right thing," said the mufti.

Urging other judges to hand down similar judgements in future, he said a fine was no longer effective in deterring Muslims from drinking alcohol, which is forbidden by their religion.

Experts said it was unclear whether such a sentence had been carried out before, and there has been much discussion over who should carry it out, and how.

In the civil courts, where caning is a common penalty for serious crimes including rape, it is carried out with a long, thick length of rattan which causes intense pain, breaks open the skin and leaves lasting scars.

However, the cane to be used on Kartika will reportedly be less than four feet (1.2 metres) long and just over a centimetre thick, and the blow is not administered on the bare skin.

The person wielding the cane is banned from lifting it above their head, so the force of the blow is not as hard.

Even as the debate raged, Kartika reportedly said she would not appeal and wanted to "hasten" the punishment so she could get on with her life.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25837242-23109,00.html