The Malaysian Insight

THE caning of two women for attempting lesbian sex may have kicked off widespread condemnation, but it received a nod from many within the Malay-Muslim majority who said it should serve as a warning against others inclined to same-sex relations.

According to shariah laws in Kelantan and Terengganu, same-sex relations are crimes punishable by a fine and caning.

Local and international rights groups had slammed caning as a form of torture and called for the Pakatan Harapan government to put a stop to it.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today weighed in on the outcry, saying the public caning of the two women, aged 32 and 22, did not reflect fairness and consideration taught in Islam.

However, despite the local and global outrage, many Malay-Muslims who spoke to The Malaysian Insight agreed with the caning and saw it as an effective scare tactic.

“We have to deal with this problem at an early stage. Now, it’s already too late, and it’s offensive to normal human behaviour. They might say protect their rights, but what about the rights of others?” said 45-year-old Wazir Ahmed Taqiuddin.

“I don’t want my daughter to become like that. If you’re a woman, then marry a man; if you’re a man, marry a woman. The world will be upside down if you oppose the laws of nature,” he said.

Wazir said the cane was merely symbolic and the two women were not punished to the point of being seriously hurt.

Aina Shamin Bahirol Hisham said the punishment was timely as a means to control the normalisation of homosexual behaviour in the country.

“(The caning) is good because we want them to repent. Same-sex relations have become too much of a norm. Before this, there were people to advise them but it remained the same.

“So, it’s justified. It’s good because homosexuality has become so rampant. It’s the same with gays,” said the 20-year-old student.

For 27-year-old Abu Hurairah Mohamad Yusof, opposition to the caning had come from those who did not understand or adhere to Islam.

“As Muslims, we should not remove the requirements in Islam. Non-Muslims should not see this as a harsh sentence. To me, it doesn’t give a negative image of Islam because this is fixed.”

In fact, said 31-year-old Nizammuddin Mansor, the “humane” manner in which the women were caned would enlighten the public on the true manner in which shariah punishments are meted out.

Unlike caning for men, the two women were fully clothed and seated on a stool. A Prisons Department official with a long rattan cane whipped them six times on the upper back.

“At least now, people can see how they were punished, and it’s not as bad as everyone thought,” he said.

Even for some liberal Malays, the caning episode was accepted with some resignation, although they disagreed with the public manner in which the sentence was carried out.

“If it’s done in public, it will bring shame to them as women, as their pride is ruined. If they wanted to cane them, it should have been done behind closed doors or at most, only in front of family members. The law is fixed, but it should be hidden,” said Kamariah Katan.

“It shouldn’t be to shame. Even among family members, we will feel ashamed. This is between them and Allah,” said the 45-year-old.

For 25-year-old Nurul Rabiatul Adawiyah Mahazi, she believed the caning incident would give a bad image of Islam as the act was seen to be cruel.

The women, she said, should have just been given counselling and a warning.

In a statement released today, Dr Mahathir said the cabinet agreed it was important to show that mercy was the cornerstone of the Islamic faith, and said the two women should have been advised or given lighter sentences. – September 6, 2018.