Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad criticised the public caning of two Muslim women for attempting to have sex. He says it tarnished Islam’s reputation as a merciful and compassionate religion and did not reflect the justice and compassion of Islam.
“It gives a bad image to Islam. It is important for us to show that Islam is not a vicious religion that likes to punish and humiliate people,” Mahathir said in a video posted on social media.
The women, aged 22 and 32, were arrested in April and pleaded guilty in an Islamic court. Each woman was lashed six times after being caught attempting to have sex in a parked car. They were also required to pay a fine of RM3,300 ($800).
The punishment follows a raid last month on one of Kuala Lumpur's only gay clubs, which saw around 20 men charged for "illicit behaviour," and a brutal attack on a trans woman in a city close to the capital.
Human rights groups slammed the punishment as a setback for human rights and said it could worsen discrimination against people in Malaysia's lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community.
Homosexual activity is illegal under both Islamic and Malaysian secular laws, which are seldom enforced. Women cannot be whipped under civil laws. Islamic officials defended the caning, saying it wasn't painful, unlike caning under civil laws, and was meant to educate the women so they would repent, not to hurt them.
Sources: CNN, foxnews.com,