A man was flogged inside a mosque in Malaysia on Friday after being convicted of an Islamic offence for spending time alone with a woman who was neither his wife nor relative, state news reported.
The 42-year-old construction worker received six lashes in Terengganu, Malaysia’s conservative state, after being convicted by a Sharia court, according to the official Bernama news agency.
This was the first instance of a Sharia court-ordered whipping taking place outside of a court setting in Malaysia, the agency added.
An AFP journalist saw the man being brought to the mosque in a prison van after Friday prayers, wearing an orange inmate’s jumpsuit. He entered the mosque before a hushed crowd.
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The caning, as punishment for the Islamic crime known as “khalwat”, took place inside the mosque after an audience of around 90 people was admitted.
Earlier this week, the Malaysian Bar Association expressed “profound concern” over the decision to flog the man.
“Such punishments strip individuals of their dignity,” the statement said.
However, spectator Mohd Sabri Muhammad expressed hope that the punishment would deter those “tempted to commit immoral acts.”
“Valentine’s Day, New Year’s – there are many opportunities for young people to engage in inappropriate behaviour,” the 37-year-old told AFP.
Multi-ethnic Malaysia has a dual-track legal system, with Islamic courts handling certain matters for Muslim citizens.
Caning typically takes place on a fully-clothed person, and critics argue that it aims to humiliate as well as physically punish the recipient.
Sharia court-ordered caning is rare but not uncommon in Malaysia.
In 2018, two women convicted of violating religious laws by having sexual relations were caned in front of more than 100 spectators in an Islamic court.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia stated last week that “punishments that inflict physical violence and public humiliation have no place in a modern justice system
