A man was flogged inside a mosque in Malaysia on Friday after being convicted of an Islamic offence for spending time alone with a woman who was neither his wife nor relative, state news reported.
The 42-year-old construction worker received six lashes in Terengganu, Malaysia’s conservative state, after being convicted by a Sharia court, according to the official Bernama news agency.
An AFP journalist saw the man being brought to the mosque in a prison van after Friday prayers, wearing an orange inmate’s jumpsuit. He entered the mosque before a hushed crowd.
The caning, as punishment for the Islamic crime known as “khalwat”, took place inside the mosque after an audience of around 90 people was admitted.
Earlier this week, the Malaysian Bar Association expressed “profound concern” over the decision to flog the man.
“Such punishments strip individuals of their dignity,” the statement said.
Caning typically takes place on a fully-clothed person, and critics argue that it aims to humiliate as well as physically punish the recipient.
Sharia court-ordered caning of men is rare but not uncommon in Malaysia.
Peoplesmind
