A man in Malaysia was publicly flogged inside a mosque on Friday after being convicted of an Islamic offense for being alone with a woman who was neither his wife nor a relative, according to state media reports.
The 42-year-old construction worker was sentenced to six lashes by a Sharia court in Terengganu, a conservative state in Malaysia, the Bernama news agency reported. This marked the first time such a punishment ordered by a Sharia court was carried out outside a courtroom in the country.
An AFP journalist witnessed the man being transported to the mosque in a prison van following Friday prayers. He wore an orange prison jumpsuit and entered the mosque as a subdued crowd looked on.
The caning, a punishment for the offense known as khalwat (close proximity), was administered in front of an audience of about 90 people inside the mosque.
Earlier in the week, the Malaysian Bar Association expressed deep concern over the decision to carry out the punishment in this manner, stating it undermines individual dignity.
“Such punishments degrade human dignity,” the Bar Association said in a statement.
However, Mohd Sabri Muhammad, one of the spectators, supported the act, saying it might serve as a deterrent against immoral behavior. “Occasions like Valentine’s Day and New Year’s give young people many chances to act inappropriately,” he told AFP.
Malaysia, a multi-ethnic nation, operates a dual legal system where Islamic courts handle specific matters for Muslim citizens.
Critics argue that caning, typically done over clothing, is intended to humiliate as well as inflict physical punishment. Sharia court-ordered caning, while not common, has occurred before. In 2018, two women convicted of breaking Islamic laws by engaging in sexual relations were caned before an audience of over 100 people.
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia recently stated that punishments involving physical violence and public humiliation are incompatible with a modern justice system.