Terengganu to enforce new syariah laws next year

SYSTEMATIC: Progressive implementation due to lack of enforcement officers

TERENGGANU will enforce the newly-amended Syariah Criminal Enactment (Takzir) 2001 gradually from district to district beginning next year.

The gradual enforcement was due to the lack of enforcement officers to carry out the task, particularly in nabbing adult male Muslims who skip Friday prayers.

Spot checks will be carried out in districts with a reported high number of adult male Muslims who play truant during Friday prayers based on feedback from mosques.

State Communication, Multimedia and Special Duties Committee chairman Ghazali Taib said the state Islamic Affairs Department, which is tasked with enforcing the law, would focus its enforcement effort in each district for at least a month before moving on to the next district.

He said nobody would know the next district on the department’s radar, except the department itself.

“When we start enforcing it in a district, news will spread to other districts and I’m sure everyone will know it does not pay to skip Friday prayers.

“What is crucial is for us to recruit more staff, especially female staff, to enforce the law.

“This is in view of the difficulty for male enforcement officers to enforce the law as they themselves have to fulfil their religious obligation to attend Friday prayers,” he told the New Straits Times.

Four amendments and a new section to the enactment, which will see heavier fines and longer jail term for syariah-related criminal offences, were tabled and passed by the state assembly last Thursday.

For Muslims who fail to attend Friday prayers continuously for three times, the new penalty is a fine not exceeding RM3,000, or a jail term of not more than two years, or both.

For those who sell or consume food, drinks, cigarettes or similar items during fasting time in Ramadan, the new penalty is a fine not exceeding RM2,000 or a jail term of not more than two years, or both.

For Muslims who act or behave indecently in public places, the new penalty is a fine not exceeding RM1,000 or a jail term of not more than two years, or both.

And, for men who are convicted of harassing women in public

at the 15th Annual places, the new penalty is a fine not exceeding RM1,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both.

A new section — Section 24A (related to close proximity) — was also tabled and approved.

Under this new section, any man or woman found staying, co-habitating, hiding or flirting with members of the opposite sex will be fined not more than RM3,000, or jail up to two years, or both.

The proposals to amend the enactment were put forward by Ghazali.

The amendments were passed by both sides of the political divide in the state assembly.

Sixteen Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen and 10 opposition representatives backed the amendments. Five assemblymen, including one from BN, were absent.

Ghazali said the message behind the amendments was not to punish, but to create awareness among Muslims of syariah offences.