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| Southeast Asia |
| Malaysia beer-drinking model escapes caning |
| 2010-04-02 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Malaysia has dropped a caning sentence imposed on a woman for drinking beer, a case that has raised concerns of intolerance in the mainly Muslim country, her father said Thursday. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 33, was sentenced last year to six lashes and a fine by a religious court in the moderate Muslim-majority country in a case that grabbed headlines around the world. Kartika's father Shukarno Mutalib said however that the ruler of the central state of Pahang, where Kartika was caught drinking, had now decided to commute the sentence, according to a letter received by the family this week. "I have also been asked to present my daughter before the religious authorities on Friday for her to undergo a 'three week' punishment, but we do not know yet whether it will be community service or detention," he said. Islamic affairs officials could not be immediately contacted. In February, three Muslim women were caned for the first time under Islamic laws for having sex out of wedlock. Malaysia practices a dual-track legal system, with Islamic criminal and family law applicable to Muslims. Non-Muslims, who make up about 45 percent of Malaysia's 28 million residents, are subject to civil law. |
| Posted by:Fred |