About three weeks ago, Malaysia made international headlines after two Muslim women in Terengganu were charged for attempting sexual acts on each other. The women were reportedly found unclothed inside a car by Islamic enforcement officers who were on patrol at the area.
According to reports, the 22-year-old and 32-year-old women were later charged under the shariah law, musahaqah, which doesn’t allow lesbian sex. Today (3 September 2018), the ladies face their punishment as they were caned six times at the Terengganu Shariah High Court, reported FMT.
FYI, apart from caning, the two women were also given an RM3,300 fine and if they can’t pay the fine, they can be imprisoned for four months.
The two women were caned in front of a panel of judges and approximately 100 people who wanted to witness the caning which took place behind closed doors at 10.10am. Amongst the people who attended the caning were the women’s families, representatives from legal bodies and non-profit organizations, and the media.
Prior to this, the ladies’ punishment, which was initially set on 28 August 2018, was postponed to today due to “technical reasons”.
Following the execution of their punishment, many netizens decided to give their two cents on the issue. One netizen criticised the move by asking if we are still living in the Stone Age, meanwhile, another suggested that this punishment should also be executed publicly for sex offenders and other criminals.
On the other hand, other netizens congratulated Terengganu on a job well done and hoped this punishment will serve as a lesson to others who are thinking of doing the same. Well, those are definitely some mixed reactions on the ladies’ punishment! What do you think of this news? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: M’sia Makes International Headlines After 2 Terengganu Women Were Sentenced to Caning For Having Sex