PETALING JAYA, Feb 22 — Pakatan Rakyat has slammed the recent caning of three Muslim women for allegedly participating in illicit sex, accusing the Syariah Court of disrespecting Syariah laws.
PR leader and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said today that the incident which occurred last week “embarrasses” the Muslims as it did not properly follow Syariah laws.
“This is because our Syariah Courts are still rife with rules that hamper them from carrying out Syariah laws the proper way,” he said after attending the PR secretariat meeting here this afternoon.
Abdul Hadi said that what was important was how the due process of law had taken place and the manner in which the perpetrators had admitted to the offence.
“Was it voluntary or not? How were they caught in the act? Was it because of their own doing (that the offence took place)? There are many aspects. It is not just a spontaneous thing (to mete out caning as a punishment),” he said.
He accused the Barisan Nasional of using the caning punishment to influence Muslim voters who “themselves do not understand the concept of Islamic laws”.
Agreeing with him, PR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, cited an example of his failure to bring his Sodomy 2 matter to the Syariah Courts.-MalaysianInsider
