PAS Youth strategic communications director Nazrul Nazir said the public whipping to be carried out is not intended to be a cruel punishment, but rather to serve as a reminder to members of society to avoid major sins.
“Public execution of the punishment also aligns with the Islamic principles of ‘al-zajr’ and ‘al-ta’dib’ (prevention and education).
“This is intended to help society realise the severe consequences of sinful actions, while also discouraging others from committing the same offences,” he said in a statement.
Last Sunday, the G25 group of prominent retired civil servants warned that the planned public whipping of the man this Friday violates both federal and shariah laws, which do not provide for such punishments.
The group criticised the Terengganu shariah appeals court’s unanimous decision on Dec 11 to uphold the punishment meted out to 42-year-old Affendi Awang by the shariah high court.
It added Islam forbids the shaming and humiliation of fellow Muslims and that there was no provision in the Quran for the whipping of sinners in public for khalwat.
G25 also said the fact that the whipping was announced to be held in a mosque after Friday prayers, essentially stripping a person of his dignity and right to privacy, is an injustice and affront to the values of compassion in Islam.
Nazrul, however, said Terengganu’s shariah criminal law permits the punishment to be carried out in public settings, such as mosques, with the primary aim of raising awareness in the community.
He said recent statistics revealed that over 17,000 teenagers have given birth out of wedlock and more than 500,000 children born out of wedlock have been registered in Malaysia.
“Is this not enough to demonstrate that moral decay is a significant threat to the institution of family and societal well-being?”
Nazrul stressed the importance of respecting the shariah court’s decision as an institution grounded in God’s law and the Federal Constitution.
“Any attempt to challenge these decisions without understanding their foundation is an insult to the Islamic judicial system.”
He also said all aspects of the offender’s health, safety and dignity would be safeguarded pursuant to the standard operating procedures issued by the shariah judicial department.