Sharia Caning

Last week when I read about how women are to be caned according to the Sharia Law, I thought it was to educate the public before Kartika's caning. I recently found out that the three women on the newspaper I read were ACTUALLY caned for performing illicit sex with their boyfriends.

It was interesting to learn that the three women turned themselves in after performing illicit sexual acts with their boyfriends. One of them will continue her prison sentence after the caning. But where are their boyfriends? Shouldn't they be punished too?
But you see, all three women bore a child from their premarital sex so the babies are proofs of their wrongdoings whereas for their boyfriends to be convicted, there should be four witnesses of the said crime (sex out of wedlock).
I think this law is outdated. We can trace human DNA now. A simple paternal test and identification by the mother can easily determine the father of the child.
I read about the procedures of the caning and I can tell you that I was beatened far worse than the caning of all three women put together for lying about my report card when I was 9. Caning, of course, is the least painful form of Sharia punishment.
Sharia law varies as muslims reasoned and formed various punishments according to their understanding of Islam. The capacity of enforced Sharia laws are also different because it is imposed in accordance to respective mazhabs. Here's a brief visual aid of some of the punishments implemented by the Sharia in different countries:

Public execution for homosexuals in Iran

Amputation for thieves in Nigeria.

Stoning to death for adultery in Somalia.



Public caning for illicit sex acts in Acheh.

I know, gruesome.

In my personal opinion, I would rather see my country practice only one brand of law. You can call me ignorant or wrong or whatever but I am in favour of being judged by only one law system. Civil law can absorb some elements of Sharia law that is still relevant in this day and age.

Some sharia punishments should be rethinked and abandoned to make our single law system relevant for all, muslims and non-muslims. Idealistic, maybe. Possible, yes.

People who are in favour of having the Sharia law fully implemented should think again. The fall of the Ottoman 'Empire' was caused by the decision of its religious leaders; they decided to practice an outdated approach of Islam that was relevant in the past. The results of their poor decision resonated to this very day.

I hope caning is the only punishment implemented by the Sharia law in Malaysia. If religious authorities decides to make ways for more sharia punishments, Malaysia will no longer be associated with words like 'moderate', 'modern' and 'progressive'.

16 comments:

hazel darwisya said...

Stoning to death for adultery in Somalia=serammmmmm!

btw u shud read this
http://obefiend.blogspot.com/2010/02/mana-brothers-in-islam.html

Mr.F said...

Secara peribadi, these are my personal opinion.

1. Saya kurang bersetuju dengan perkataan outdated, mungkin diganti dengan 'belum sesuai', juga kurang bersetuju bahawa jika undang2 diatas dilaksanakan kita tidak menjadi negara yang progresif atau moderate.

2. Sekiranya kita mengetahui sejarah pelaksanaan hukum bagi pesalah, banyak yang lebih dahsyat dari gambaran diatas, hatta gantung sampai mati juga amat menyeksakan untuk disaksikan.

3. Hukuman sebat civil juga meninggalkan kesan parut yang dalam dan dalam hal ini, saya menolak pembelaan SIS yang berat sebelah. Mereka juga harus mempersoalkan semula hukuman sebat civil walaupun kepada lelaki, kerana kesan parut itu meninggalkan kesan emosi, memalukan, dan kejam.

4. Berkenaan pelaksanaan hudud seperti gambar2 diatas, saya bersetuju bahwa ia wajar dilaksanakan hanya dalam keadaan ketika umat dah mencapai tahap kefahaman Islam yang unggul, dan di masa itu akan berlakukalah keadilan. berkenaan isu2 empat orang saksi dsb, sebenarnya hudud amat teliti pelaksanaannya sehinggakan sebenarnya sememangnya hukuman itu bukan mudah untuk dilaksanakan, ia lebih kepada bnyak membawa unsur pengampunan, dan hukuman takzir oleh pemerintah bolehlah digunakan. Disini harus difaham secara jelas, bahawa saya tidak mengatakan ia susah nak dilaksanakan, tetapi saya mengatakan bahawa ia dijalankan ketika umat Islam stabil, bukan di zaman fitnah, ketika Islam gemilang, sehinnga tiada orang mencuri, zakat dibagi secara telus, nafsu umat terkawal, dan ketika itu contohnya jika ada umat yang mencuri, cukup nisab dan saksi, pada perkiraan yang memang dia jahat, bukan kerana miskin ,dsb, barulah dipotong tangan. Hal yang sama jugalah dengan qisas, dan hukuman2 hudud yang lain.

5. Jangan emosi berlebihan dengan gambar diatas, kita juga harus emosi dengan gambar pesalah dadah ke tali gantung, padahal dia 'dipaksa' membawa dadah oleh suaminya. Ia juga zalim dan tidak adil.

6. Namun saya besetuju dengan afiq dan SIS, dimana boyfren wanita2 tersebut? Ketika seseorang hadir kepada rasul mengaku berzina pun, Baginda cuba mengelak dengan memberi pelbagai option, supaya pesalah tidak mengaku berzina, sebaliknya kembali bertaubat.

7. Dan kepada NON-Muslim yang membaca post ini, sila rujuk juga hukuman pesalah bagi seluruh negara didunia termasuklah di Israel sekalipun, bagi golongan Yahudi mereka membelasah pasangan yang berdating di tepi pantai secara teruk, mereka juga mempunyai 'polis-moral' yang menguatkuasakan hukuman ketat bagi pesalah moral mengikut tafsiran kitab mereka. Bahkan pemakaian perempuan mereka (bagi Yahudi konservatif di sesetengah kawasan) wajib hitam, malahan biru gelap pun menjadi perbalahan dan isu. jika tidak mahu melihat hukuman yang 'religion-base' tengoklah mana-mana hukuman lain di dunia. Biarlah kita menimbang sesuatu isu secara global, sekiranya kita tidak mahu menimbang menggunakan asas agama sekalipun (bagi yang NON-Muslim)

Anonymous said...

Now, this is a good post.
It comes with fair analysis of facts and with honest concern. Unlike most of your earlier posts on Islam which I still finds lacks in knowledge and dishonest.

Anonymous said...

From my point of view, Syariah Law is basically to prevent people from wrongdoings, not to punish. If we heard that it sounds mean or cruel, but think again what happen if the punishment applied for such crimes or dosa that being done. By thinking of the punishment, we might be scared to do such crime.

Would you dare to involve in drug dealing if you aware of the punishment? I'll think many times before doing it cause I'm aware of the punishment if I caught red handed. My point is, such punishments in Syariah Law is just to scare people away. It's more to a warning so that people will not do zina and whatnot.

Soalancepumas said...

Memang memalukan di zaman ini, orang Melayu, Kerajaan UMNO menggunakan undang2 Syariah Mahathir untuk menyebat perempuan Melayu.

Apakah logiknya untuk mengikut undang2 Arab/Islam yang berlainan cara hidup mereka dengan cara kita di Malaysia.

Kepelikan syariah Mahathir pada 1997 adalah juga hal qazaf di mana perempuan Melayu yang melapurkan di rogol akan di dakwa kerana gagal membawa 4 lelaki melihat dia di rogol!

Perempuan Melayu bebas keluar rumah dan bekerja dan bercampur. Ditambah dengan blog dan facebook perempuan Melayu begitu senang di hampiri.

Apa bila sudah dihampiri maka senanglah disetubuhi.

Jadi adaalah wajar Kerajaan mengharamkan dulu facebooks, myspace dan perempuan bekerja sebelum mengenakan hukuman yang berat seperti denda dan penjara dan sebat seperti yang dilalui oleh 3 wanita malang ini.

Malang kerena mereka termegandung sebelum bernikah. Soalnya kenapa tak nikah? Ini yang perlu ditangani oleh Jabatan Agama bukan hanya menyebat perempuan Melayu.

Kenapa tak nikah adalah soalan yang tepat. Jawapnya susah nak kahwin! Tak ada duit dan sebagainya.

Lelaki tak minat nak kahwin..etc

logika said...

Perempuan dan lelaki suka bersetubuh.
Jika kerajaan ingin mengurangkan persetubuhan haram maka jelaslah persetubuhan halal patut digalakan.

Incentif untuk kahwin perlu diadakan. Bukan menghalang perempuan bersetubuh dengan menyebat mereka.

Setakat mendenda, memenjara dan menyebat orang Melayu kerana bersetubuh secara haram bukan jawapannya.

Hari ini dia bertaubat dan menyesal tapi esok kemahuan untuk bersetubuh masih ada!

Sebab bersetubuh itu adalah naluri paling rendah manusia mengikut saintis Maslow.

Kenapa kerajaan bersusah payah memeriksa rumah, hotel dan taman bunga mencari orang bersetubuh bila yang perlu adalah environmen yang sesuai untuk bersetubuh.

tok2 haji dan kaki intai memang suka membuat benda yang dilarang Islam seperti mengendap jiran. Tapi ini yang digalakan kerajaan.

geleng kepala...

Afiq Deen said...

Mr. F, perkataan 'outdated' itu adalah untuk amalan 4 saksi yang diperlukan untuk menyabit kesalahan zina.

I agree when you say that our education is not up to par for hudud laws to be fully implemented. Muslim extremists in Somalia and Afghanistan for example implemented strict sharia law for political reasons, to make their citizens afraid of the government.

Afiq Deen said...

Kenapa mereka tak nak kahwin?

We have made it our culture to make marriage a difficult ordeal. It is expensive and burdened both parties.

Respon oleh Jabatan Agama apabila dikejutkan dengan kenaikan kes-kes zina ialah melebihkan lagi raid malam di hotel dan motel. Mereka langsung tidak terfikir untuk membuat kempen-kempen yang dapat mengajar belia tentang bahana zina atau memberi penerangan tentang bertapa mudahnya bernikah dalam ajaran Islam yang asli.

RITZ CHEWAN said...

Just wondering.

What is a Islamic State?

Does Malaysia and its religious Laws- Syariah-Malaysia as it were fit that description?

If Malaysian Syariah is based on Shafiee opinion, by reducing them to Acts and Legislation the way forward is no longer Shafiee but Syariah-Malaysia?

Therefore would punishment accorded by Syariah-Malaysia EQUAL Islamic Syariat recognised by God?

Therefore would the caning for zina albeit lighter than the purported Islamic-Syariah sentence absolve sin (on earth) in the eyes of God?

If Syariah-Malaysia is not Up-to Islamic-Syariah standard would caning as opposed to stoning (assuming stoning is the recognised Islamic-Syariah) be free2 jer kena rotan?

Is "Malaysia" Syariah Compliant before we go about caning its citizens?

Is the Federal Constitution Syariah Compliant? If so is our current Islamic Government Syariah Compliant?

I don't know I'm just wondering aloud.

Do we not think that the Government Must be Syariah Compliant before it goes around whacking people?

RITZ CHEWAN said...

Mr F, agaknya kalau hukum Syariat Islam di laksanakan ie rejam dengan batu (penzina berkahwin) atau 100 rotan (penzina bujang) agaknya ada parut tak?

RITZ CHEWAN said...

I agree with logika untuk Nahi Mungkar (tolak kemungkaran) mesti ada Amar Ma'ruf tegakkan kebenaran.

Tolak keburukan dengan kebaikan.

Bukan hanya Tolak Keburukan dengan mengintai...

Mr.F said...

Ritz, Isu 'parut' itu sekadar saya bangkitkan agar SIS tidak keterlaluan beremosi dalam hujahnya yang bias gender.

The Government, the environment of Malaysia must be syariah compliant first.

Dont be jumud said...

Pengarah Jakim bilang kebanyakan orang dah terima bahwa sebat itu sebahagian dari Syariah.

Alahai bodohnya pengarah Jakim ni.
Memanglah orang dah terima dan faham sebat 100 kali untuk zina, 80 kali untuk perempuan lapur dirogol, potong tangan dan kaki semua itu orang dah faham.

Seluruh dunia dah faham. But do they accept it. That is the question. The global world cannot accept such brutality anymore. Islam has to change.

Malay muslims have to change. Islam hadari maybe one way. But change they must. If not the Malays will have to bomob disco like Nordin Mat Top.

It is precisely because the world cannot accept whipping in syariah that the US attack Taliban in Afghanistan and Iraq.

They will next attack Iran if Iran try to whip fornicators in US.

More Muslim women may be tempted to be murtad to escape from Syariah whipping. After all they just want to enjoy bersetubuh.

No one in the western blink about bersetubuh. Tiger Wood bersetubuh with many women and is still a hero.

And also many Malays men and women find that bersetubuh if fun and exciting. With the internet we can see how other culture have more fun and bersetubuh more often! hehe

So Jakim should surf the web and see how the world sexuality is changing..

andi said...

i have to agree with you when it comes to this part

all malaysians should be governed by ONE brand of law

don't this occur to Muslims now, that we are less of a citizen by having 2 sets of laws governing us?

horrifying

liberal Islam said...

We could never stress enough that Malay society must not be controlled by Malays who are religiously fanatics like PAS.

This is the time liberal Malays must stand up against obvious cruelty to Malay women by fanatics Malays.

Why should we give up our culture and liberal lifestyles to live like Arabs just because we are Islam?

Iran Islam is not even recognised by the Arabs Saudi but they are still Islam.

So it is not strange that we adopt just the reasonable tenets.

Islam itu mudah. Tuhan itu maha pemurah dan maha penyayang. Not Tuhan itu suka menyebat dan potong kaki..etc.

Thats is why Civilised Islam should the Malays guidelines. Besides Arabs 4th century lifestyles surely is not compatible with 21st century Malay lifestyle.

Afiq Deen said...

Islam is not at fault. It's the muslims and their interpretation of Islam.

Islam is still the fastest growing religion in modern countries despite the negativity that revolves around it.

I guess it is because when converts read the Quran, they realise that there is more in Islam than they perceived through popular media and their own surrounding.

If Islamic authorities wisen up and update their outdated views on Islam, there will be even more converts.