Amid furore over sentencing a Muslim woman model to be caned for drinking beer in public, an Islamic court in Malaysia on Tuesday said it would review the "harsh" ruling, a move that came after a nudge by the country's premier.
The Pahang state Shariah Court chief judge has ordered that the caning of part-time model 32-year-old Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno be deferred pending a review, as the sentence was deemed "too extreme".
The case has attracted widespread international coverage much to the discomfort of many Malaysians. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil told reporters that the order to lash Kartika six times with a cane gave the Shariah Court a "cruel image". Jalil said the overriding view was that the sentence was "too harsh and is not commensurate with the offence".
On July 20, the Pahang Shariah High Court had fined Kartika 5,000 ringgit (Rs 60,000) and ordered that she be given six strokes with a bamboo cane for drinking beer as consuming alcohol is forbidden under country's Shariah law.
Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said Kartika could still appeal the ruling. He said the model should not merely resign herself to the sentence.
The premier said the authorities were always willing to consider such an appeal. "I feel that she (Kartika) should not be too quick in accepting the fact that she has been punished. Actually there is still avenue for her to appeal her case. The authority concerned is always sensitive and considerate," Star online quoted him as telling reporters here.
His comments came as several rights groups expressed concern over the sentencing, which, if carried out, will be the first instance in Malaysia of a woman being caned. Kartika, a mother of two and a permanent resident of Singapore, won a surprise reprieve yesterday when religious officials who were taking her to a jail to be caned instead took her back home. Later it was announced that the caning would take place after the holy month of Ramadan.
Jalil said the chief judge of the Shariah appeals court had ordered the review. "We are equally concerned not only for Kartika Sari, but also for the fact that this one particular case could have damaged the image of Malaysia in its fair and just implementation of the Shariah law."
Kartika has said that she should be caned.
Human rights group Amnesty International has urged Malaysia to abolish the "cruel and degrading punishment." Malaysia has a large ethnic Chinese and Indian population besides the majority Malay Muslims. The Shariah courts try Muslims for religious and moral offences. Non-Muslims can consume alcohol.
Meanwhile, 84-year-old former premier Mahathir Mohammad raised the issue in his blog. "Is this sentence correct for the offence of consuming alcohol? Is this punishment contained in Malaysian Shariah laws?" he asked.
