Severity of Islamic Law Fuels Debate in Malaysia

By JAMES HOOKWAY
WSJ

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- In coming days, a Muslim woman named Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno who drank beer in a hotel bar will be caned under Islamic laws. Some political analysts cite the country's increasingly fractious politics as one reason she'll become the first Malaysian woman caned for the offense.

Drinking alcohol is illegal for Malaysia's Muslims, who make up about 60% of the nation's 27 million people. Usually, those who are caught are subjected to a fine or brief prison sentence. Non-Muslims, including large ethnic-Chinese and Indian communities, are free to drink as they please and aren't subject to Shariah law.

But Ms. Kartika has been sentenced to six lashes with a rattan cane. On Friday, the 32-year-old mother of two asked for the punishment to be carried out in public to deter other Muslims from drinking alcohol.
Her punishment, ordered by an Islamic court last Wednesday, comes at a time of political tension in Malaysia. The ruling National Front and the Islamist component of an opposition alliance are competing to place themselves as the guardians of a faith that has taken on an increasingly political face in Malaysia over the past 20 years.

The National Front accuses the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, of giving up some of its Islamic ideals by showing a willingness to compromise with its secular allies in matters such as whether convenience stores can sell alcohol in majority Muslim areas, or the location of pig abattoirs -- sensitive issues in this multiracial society.

(More here.)