Muslim woman to be flogged in Malaysia over beer (caning usually reserved for men)

[Liberal_in_LA]

stupid Sharia laws.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/20/international/i234901D31.DTL

Muslim woman to be flogged in Malaysia over beer

By JULIA ZAPPEI, Associated Press Writer

(07-21) 04:18 PDT KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) --

An Islamic court in Malaysia has sentenced a Muslim woman to be flogged with a rattan cane for having a beer in a nightclub, a court official said Tuesday.

It is rare for a woman in Malaysia to be sentenced to caning — a punishment usually reserved for men in various crimes ranging from rape to bribery.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was sentenced Monday to six lashes and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,400) for consuming alcohol, said a Shariah High Court official who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to make public statements.

Shukarno, a 32-year-old model, pleaded guilty in the court in eastern Pahang state to a charge of drinking beer when Islamic authorities raided a hotel nightclub in August 2008.

Consuming alcohol is a religious offense in Malaysia only for Muslims, who make up nearly two-thirds of the population. Offenders are prosecuted in Shariah courts, which handle cases mainly related to family and moral issues for Muslims.

Most offenders are fined, but the law also provides for a three-year prison term and caning. Shukarno was the only Muslim caught in the raid at the Pahang nightclub.

Malaysian clubs and lounges typically serve alcohol but are not legally required to check if customers are Muslim before serving them, so the hotel nightclub operators were not charged with any offense.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/20/international/i234901D31.DTL#ixzz0Lx77kqDN

[Gabi Hayes]

1. coming soon, to a country near you (SA)

if they have their way

Carrie Nation lives!

[burning rain]

2. Just remember....

this has nothing to do with religion, and it would be especially ugly to suggest it had anything to do with Islam. *rolling eyes*

[Rex]

3. Insane in the membrane.

Crazy people, doing crazy things.

[demosincebirth]

4. All she had to say was she wasn't muslim....I guess.