Muslim model to be beaten with canes for drinking a beer
(Oh, and what a surprise – she’s a woman!)
The Freethinker has reported on a case in Malaysia which should have you all gasping with feigned shock.
It seems part-time model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, found herself in a Sharia court after Islamic authorities raided a hotel nightclub in August 2008. She pleaded guilty to drinking a beer and was sentenced on Monday to suffer six lashes from a rattan cane and to pay a fine of 5,000 ringgit (around £850).
The punishment “is aimed at making the accused repent and serves as a lesson to Muslims,” the New Straits Times quoted Judge Abdul Rahman Yunus as saying.
Consuming alcohol is a religious offense for Muslims. Muslims, who make up nearly two-thirds of the population of Malaysia, are forbidden from drinking alcohol although the sale of alcohol to non-Muslims is permitted. Most offenders are fined, but the law also provides for a three-year prison term and caning.
