KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 27): A man was whipped at a mosque in Terengganu on Friday for the Islamic crime of close proximity with a non-family member of the opposite sex, local media reported, in a rare public sentencing.

Muslim-majority Malaysia practises a dual-track legal system, with Islamic criminal and family laws applicable to Muslims alongside secular laws.

Mohd Affendi Awang, 42, was convicted of the Islamic crime of "khalwat", and sentenced to six strokes of the whip and a fine, after he pleaded guilty to the offence last month. It was the third time Mohd Affendi, a construction worker, has been convicted of the crime.

Mohd Affendi, who is also a father of five, underwent a medical examination before he was whipped at a Terengganu mosque, witnessed by 90 people and under strong police presence, following Friday prayers, Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia said.

According to local broadcaster Astro Awani, the whipping, which was carried out by an officer from the Marang Prison in Terengganu, lasted for two minutes.

In 2018, the state whipped two women in a courtroom watched by dozens of people, after they were convicted of attempting lesbian sex, prompting an outcry from human rights groups.

After the whipping, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said this demonstrates the Terengganu government's commitment to strengthening Islamic law. Terengganu is governed by PAS.

"The implementation of public whipping for khalwat repeat offenders serves to educate the public in accordance with the commands of Allah," he said.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) criticised the court’s decision, noting that the punishment undermines human rights, dignity and the rule of law, as well as raising questions regarding the legality of public whipping under the Federal Constitution and federal law.

Read also:
Shariah whipping in public — does it exceed the Shariah Courts’ jurisdiction?
Public whipping in Terengganu: A violation of human rights and rule of law

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