Malaysia Valentine's Day Crackdown Targets 'Immoral' Acts Like Casual Sex

Malaysian lovebirds, take note: as part of nationwide campaign to encourage a sin-free lifestyle, the government is planning a crackdown on "immoral acts" in time for Valentine's Day.

The AFP is reporting that authorities in the northern states of Kedah, Penang and Kelantan as well as central Selangor state will carry out "immorality checks" on Feb. 14, said Nasrudin Hasan Tantawi, head of the Islamic party PAS's youth wing.

"We have identified spots in these states which are used by lovers and we are deploying local religious department officials as well as party members to stop such sinful acts like casual sex which violates Islam," Nasrudin told the AFP.

Though no additional details on how the offending culprits will exactly be nabbed were provided, among those targeted will be women found to be wearing no panties, and hotels offering deals for unwed couples. "We must stop such practices here as these are sinful activities," he added. "We are not trying to stop love, but want to ensure that whatever Muslims in Malaysia do is moral and in keeping with our faith."

Offenders, Nasrudin said, will be prosecuted under Islamic law. As Time has noted, Muslim-majority Malaysia operates according to a dual-track legal system whereby Muslims are bound by Shari'a law (in certain contexts) and non-Muslims are handled by the country's civil courts.

Comments

[Jonshlim]

01:08 AM on 02/14/2011

Islamist PAS is not the government. It's part of opposition alliance consist of Communist DAP and Anwar Ibrahim's PKR. Those states are under their control.

[Retrofuturistic]

12:17 AM on 02/14/2011

I'm sure that, in their minds, that anything a woman does is much more "immoral" than anything a man could ever do....

[Amryxx]

04:13 PM on 02/13/2011

"... women found to be wearing no panties"

Interesting to see how they're going to check that.

But in relation to the article, I certainly have not detected an increased rate of arrests and whatnot. As far as I know, hormonally-charged kids aren't really slowed down or deterred by this.

[RitaS]

12:00 PM on 02/13/2011

'....among those targeted will be women found to be wearing no panties....'

Ah, how are they going to accomplish this? Lift up every woman's skirt or strip off their pants? Oh, I can just see it now... Hey you there, stop, I need to inspect your panties or lack there of, lift up your skirt so I can SEE.....

[MIKEinNYC]

11:56 PM on 02/12/2011

Undemocratic Sharia sycophants strike again.

[FTracy3]

02:01 PM on 02/12/2011

Instead of committing sinful acts on Valentines Day, couples are being encouraged to wait two months and spend some romantic time together on National Stone an Adulterer to Death Day.

[Amryxx]

04:16 PM on 02/13/2011

While that is the stuff of rom-comms, we don't really have stoning here. A decade ago, some guy floated the idea of amputations, but that didn't really fly.

[ARMANDO DE LA ROSA]

12:03 AM on 02/12/2011

Lip service aimed at conservatives. Notice how they announce this before it actually occurs, ie fair warning and these are not the hot beds of 20 something Malaysian sexuality in any case. With the exception of Panang these are rural states home to only 2 million of Malaysias 30 million residents. Think Alabama if you want to get my drift. Everything is designed to find the fewest. Likewise when they talk about Sharia law they are not exactly talking about the Taliban form of Sharia Law. While the offense is the same pre-marital sex the punishment is not. In Malaysia if you get busted as a Muslim having un-married sex you can expect a fine,up to two years, and or caning-six strokes. Keep in mind vandalism like graffiti can get you 3-8 strokes, a fine and three years in their non Muslin neighbor Singapore. Most likely outcome 10 - 20 couples who didn't get the news, thirty days and a fine and if particularly aggressive six canings on top. As for the men- their sentences are generally harsher though the reaction of ones family is inverse. Now it might be fine and dandy to claim how enlightened we Americans are but keep in mind the last of our Sharia like sodomy laws were only struck off our books in 2003.Lastly,the leading figure in the Sharia court has advocated tougher sentences to which the current King told him to shut up and adjudicate as opposed to legislate.

[hershobr]

08:31 AM on 02/13/2011

People who follow Sharia law are a backwards people who need to get with the 21st century. Sharia law is an infringement on basic human rights.

[Amryxx]

04:11 PM on 02/13/2011

Looking at the track record of Western countries, I wouldn't be so quick to be so smug about your "human rights records"

[Talab]

09:30 AM on 02/14/2011

Really , in america mug someone for $50 and do a couple of years in prison but make millions homeless , and crash an economy and it's ...bonuses as usual

[AlKhateeb]

03:32 PM on 02/11/2011

The biggest problem Islam has is ignorant Muslims and their ignorant and over-zealous leaders. The only way to manifest these kinds of laws is to seek out the faults of others and by spying on them. Both actions are enjoined against according to the hadith (sayings and actions) of Prophet Muhammad.

Ahmad (19277) and Abu Dawood (4880) narrated that Abu Barzah al-Aslami said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘O you who have spoken the words of faith but faith has not truly entered your hearts! Do not backbite about the Muslims, and do not seek out their faults. For whoever seeks out their faults, Allaah will seek out his faults, and if Allaah seeks out a person’s faults He will expose him even in his own house.’” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 4083.

On top of that the only way to find out if a woman is not wearing underwear is to inspect her "awrah" the intimate parts of the body, for both men and women, which must be covered with clothing. Exposing the awrah is unlawful in Islam and is regarded as sin. And inspect the awrah for other than voluntary medical purposes is unlawful.

[p c r]

02:57 PM on 02/11/2011

When will religious fanatics realize that morality can not and should not be legislated? Even in the United States. Anyone? Anyone?

[LMPE]

02:11 PM on 02/11/2011

Casual sex?

Sounds like "forcible rape".

[curiousinthisworld22]

05:46 PM on 02/11/2011

No kidding. I agree with you. You notice the article didn't mention the religious police were going to see if men were wearing drawers...

[Cinnamonape]

02:00 PM on 02/11/2011

I never have casual sex...I make sure it's going to burn off about 1000 calories.

[justitia]

01:48 PM on 02/11/2011

Conservative Christians probably support this. Anyway, Malaysians will simply do their 'thing' in neighboring Singapore, Sumatra (Indonesia), and Thailand, countries that are just next to Malaysia.

[ARMANDO DE LA ROSA]

12:05 AM on 02/12/2011

They only need drive into KL actually. This is only in three of the smaller states.

[hershobr]

08:33 AM on 02/13/2011

No sane minded person supports Sharia law.

[mcvet]

01:19 PM on 02/11/2011

For the life of me I can't understand why Radical Muslims and Christian Conservatives can't get along. When you look at what they BOTH want, the goals of BOTH groups, they are pretty much the same. The problem for Christian Conservatives in THIS nation is they have the bad luck to be in a nation that doesn't have the word "Christian" anywhere in it's ENTIRE Constitution.

[slinkybro]

01:44 PM on 02/11/2011

good observation.

[StAlphonso]

12:09 PM on 02/11/2011

"we are deploying local religious department officials as well as party members to stop such sinful acts like casual sex which violates Islam,"

The last thing we want is casual sex between two consenting adults. Forced sex with a child bride, however, is still perfectly acceptable.

[pamihami]

04:25 PM on 02/11/2011

Well said and let's not forget the sex trade. http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/malaysia.htm

[rozalindb]

11:53 PM on 02/11/2011

Thanks for the link, pamlhami. Reading it makes me want to pull my hair out.

[StarDagger]

12:02 PM on 02/11/2011

Malaysia STRICTLY Asia.

They just negated the entire tourist campaign with one Governor Hull moment.

Note to the rest of the world: this is what happens when conservatives and religions take over govt!
.

.