Cane For Drinking Beer, Muslim Model Gets A Review

Malaysian government is set to review a caning sentence that has been issued to a Muslim model found guilty of drinking beer. The authorities say that the verdict could have been "too harsh" and might damage the nation's reputation.


Muslim model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, has been sentenced to caning (a corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits from a rattan cane) by the religious court last month after caught drinking beer at a hotel nightclub. She is the first woman ordered to face caning under Malaysian Islamic law.

Shortly after the detention of the beer-drinking model due to face thrashing in jail, headlines of the incident have spread all over the world and Prime Minister Najib Razak has started to realize that the news might ruin Malaysia's image as a moderate Muslim-majority nation. He has urged the model to appeal the sentence.

Tough and "rebellious," the mother-of-two has refused to make an appeal and says that if the courts want to back down they should do so openly. She has also challenged the religious authorities earlier to cane her in public.

"I won't file any appeal. Carry on and cane me, don't waste my time," the model says in a telephone interview with AFP.

Malaysia has a dual-track legal system with sharia courts holding the power to punish Muslims for religious and moral offenses. Alcohol-drinking is forbidden for Muslim Malays who, when found guilty of the offense, could be fined, caned, or jailed for up to three years.

According to state legislator Hassan Mohammad Ali, the mosque officials of Malaysia have the power to arrest Muslims who drink alcohol and violate other Islamic laws:

"The new policy allows these individuals to arrest Muslims who are caught drinking alcohol, who don't fast during the fasting month of Ramadan and many other violations of Islam including prostitution.

"However, we urge these new authorities not to be overzealous in carrying out their duties... as the idea of the law is to instill an Islamic way of life for Muslims and not to create fear for Muslims and non-Muslims."