THREE Muslim women – the first in Malaysia to be caned for illicit sex – claim that their punishment was an opportunity for them to repent of their sins, according to this report.
Prison authorities caned the women on February 9 after an Islamic court passed sentence. The caning has outraged rights groups and revived speculation that conservative Islamists, who advocate harsh punishment, are gaining influence.
The three women, aged 17-25, said they turned themselves in after feeling guilty for sleeping with their boyfriends before marriage and getting pregnant. [The Freethinker] Read more
Malaysia canes women for having sex out of wedlock Malaysian authorities have caned three women under Islamic laws for the first time in the Southeast Asian country, the interior minister said on Wednesday.
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the sentences were carried out on February 9 after a religious court found them guilty of having sex out of wedlock. Two of the women were whipped six times. [Reuters Blogs - FaithWorld] Read more
Women’s groups decry caning of females The recent caning of three Muslim women for illicit sex has drawn outrage from women’s groups but Muslim non-governmental organisations (NGOs) say the punishment should not be “sensationalised.”
All Women’s Action Society (Awam) president Sofia Lim Siu Ching said the Home Ministry needed to explain why the punishment was carried out in secret.
“The expediency and the secrecy reek of bad faith and betray a troubling disregard for public opinion on an issue that has drawn attention around the globe,” she said in a statement Thursday. [The Star Online] Read more
