100 lashes

Dr Khairuddin Aman Razali, a PAS MP, must be obviously thrilled that with the passing of Pak Haji's private member's Bill to amend Act 355, the measly 6 strokes of the rotan as allowed for the subordinate syariah courts to award to naughty Muslims can then be increased to 100 lashes of flogging.

Remember Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno?

The part time nurse in Singapore and mother of two was caught drinking a beer, only her second time in her 32 years of life, in a hotel lounge in Kuantan, Pahang. Even though she was said to be a Sing citizen (her father is/was(?) Malaysian from Perak), she was sentenced to caning, and she herself insisted that the caning be conducted preferably in public.

There was much show by the authorities on how the caning would be gently conducted.

Firstly, the warden carrying out the caning would be a woman who was only allowed to raise her cane-holding arm to a certain limit which prevented the likelihood of severe strokes.

Then then there was this and there was that, etc, all to show the compassion of Islam and the meaning of Islamic caning which was only to inflict not pain but rightful remorse, etc etc etc.

Now ask yourself, if Islamic caning was said to be only to invoke remorse, why has PAS ask for the syariah courts to have its quota of hudud punishment increased to 100 (one hundred) strokes?

I believe the increased flogging is to instil severe pain and fear into Muslims' hearts so that they will obey the ulamas' every dictates.

Any wise cracks at the ulama or wise guys questioning the ulama (eg. Kassim Ahmad) will be hauled off for public flogging.

Precedents in Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Gulf countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc, have been ample examples of gross injustice by narrow minded ulama who misused the glorious name of Allah swt to inflict severe painful punishments and deaths to innocents especially women for their own earthly power.

Ladies like Nik Raina was only saved because of the secular superior courts of Malaysia. In the end, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was pardoned by HRH Pahang, only because our rulers and authorities practised secular compassion. If we had left it to those ulama with ingrown toe-nails, woe betided the sweeties.

And when hudud is finally fully implemented, the non Muslims will also be subjected to hudud punishments. Don't ever trust PAS or any ulama who swear that syariah punishments including hudud will not apply to non Muslims.

That's why we non Muslims must persevere in our current efforts to object to Pak Haji's private member's Bill which seeks not only to increase punishments such as from 6 to 100 strokes of the whip, but by stealth, to elevate the syariah courts to be on par with civil courts.

Of course, the only people in Malaysia who wont be subjected to syariah-hudud punishment will be the ulama and those they need to bodek.