THE hallowed corridors of the renowned Sheldonian Theatre at Oxford University have been the scene of the entry of many luminaries whose speeches elucidated its audience.
Monday was no different when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak delivered his address. The packed hall had students, academicians, diplomats, businessmen both local and Malaysian, and even a disgraced politician.
Najib’s speech on moderation, peppered with quotes from the Quran, the Torah and even the Bible, went on to outline Malaysia’s success as a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural society.
He said: “In managing our plurality, we have decided on integration as opposed to assimilation. Malaysians accept their diversity. We do not merely tolerate each other but we also embrace and celebrate. By leveraging the robustness and dynamism of our diversity, we have created a foundation for our national resilience.”
Touching on Islam and extremism, he said the solution lies in not for more Muslims to speak up but for the entire world to stand up.
“Just as Muslims need to make their voices heard, so do the Christians, the Jews, the Buddhists, the Hindus and the atheists who are sickened by intolerance, violence and terror and need to make their voices heard. We need to hear the concerted voices from moderates in all countries and from all walks of life. And when we do, the prize of peace is there for all to see.”
— Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali has labelled Lim Guan Eng (picture) a cowardly gangster and a communist for calling for reinforcements in a gang fight against one.
The Malay rights lobbyist was responding to the DAP secretary-general’s open call yesterday inviting all “non-Umno” members in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) to set aside political differences and unite to oppose their common enemy — Datuk Ibrahim Ali.
“DAP is willing to work with all Malaysians, including non-Umno component members in BN, to oppose this crusade and demand action against Utusan Malaysia and Ibrahim Ali’s reckless opportunism and irresponsible adventurism,” Lim said in his Wesak Day message yesterday.
The Penang chief minister said Malaysians were outraged by the Home Ministry’s inaction against both Ibrahim for his threat and Umno’s Utusan Malaysia for publishing unsubstantiated reports of a presumed plot between DAP and Christian leaders to usurp Islam as the religion of the federation.
In his Wesak Day message, Guan Eng said the DAP is willing to work with all Malaysians, including non-Umno component members in BN, to fight extremism in the country.
The DAP today invited all “non-Umno” members in Barisan Nasional (BN) to cast aside their political beliefs and unite with their opposition foes to fight one common enemy together — Datuk Ibrahim Ali.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in lambasting the government’s failure to reprimand the Perkasa president for waging a crusade against the Christians, said it was time for all Malaysians to unite against extremism, regardless of their political beliefs.
“Only if we cleanse hatred from our heart and fill our soul with love can we find peace, balance and harmony with our lives and with each other. For this reason, DAP calls on all Malaysians to stand up for peace and harmony by uniting against extremists and harmony that wants to see Malaysia burn with hatred and violence.
“DAP is willing to work with all Malaysians, including non-Umno component members in BN, to oppose this crusade and demand action against Utusan Malaysia and Ibrahim Ali’s reckless opportunism and irresponsible adventurism,” he said in his Wesak Day message today.
Low said he was ready to give his statement on the matter to the police.
There is no pact between Christian and DAP leaders to turn Christianity into the constitutional religion of Malaysia, Datuk Paul Low asserted today.
The Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president, who was an invited guest speaker at the Unashamedly Ethical Conference (UEC) on May 5 in George Town, vouched for the organisers of the event and stressed that the only pledges which were presented then were anti-corruption pledges.
“I categorically confirm that no pact or pledge for Christianity as an official religion or for a Christian prime minister was made on the evening of May 5 or at any time during the conference,” Low told reporters here today.
The TI-M president said that he was “gravely concerned” about the allegations made by some bloggers as well as Utusan Malaysia regarding a pledge to install a Christian as prime minister, and repeatedly stressed that the such claims were untrue.
He defended the UEC and said its purpose was to promote “ethical, good values and clean living” among Christians.
The prime minister said the Federal Constitution’s provision on the position of Islam and other religions is very clear.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak moved today to calm a raging controversy over unsubstantiated reports in the media about a plot to make Christianity the official religion, by pointing out that Islam would remain the religion of the federation.
The prime minister allayed fears sparked by an Utusan Malaysia report about Christian groups conspiring with the DAP to install a Christian prime minister by assuring Muslim leaders Islam’s position cannot be changed in any form.
“This is because the reality is that we have the Federal Constitution, and its provision on the position of Islam and the other religions is very clear,” Najib told reporters after meeting with 22 Muslim leaders and intellectuals, here.
The official invitation was sent by the Prime Minister’s Office last week.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will meet a select group of church leaders for lunch in Putrajaya tomorrow, after the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government took flak over reports of a presumed plot by Christians to usurp Islam as Malaysia’s main creed.
Bishop Ng Moon Hing, who heads the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), confirmed he received the invitation from the Prime Minister’s Office last week and will be attending the closed-door lunch meeting with representatives from the Roman Catholic Church, the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) and the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF).
“Utusan will be just one of the many one-off things that will be raised,” Ng told The Malaysian Insider today.
MCA Youth demand police investigate Utusan Malaysia’s Christian Malaysia reports, as well as two blog posts cited by the newspaper.
The youth wing of the Barisan Nasional (BN) party lodged a police report today asking for the Umno-owned newspaper and the blog posts to be investigated under the Sedition Act.
Dr Kow Cheong Wei, MCA Youth publicity chief, told reporters that the police should conduct a thorough probe because race and religion had been abused.
“We do not want and will not allow any party to use these issues, whether Islam or Christianity or any religion to be a propaganda tool in this country.
An Umno member greets Mahathir as he arrives for
the Cheras Umno division meeting.
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed today slammed religious extremists for deepening the racial divide in the country.
He also said a weak federal government is the reason why there is growing racial tension in the country.
Speaking to reporters after attending the Cheras Umno division meeting, Mahathir also said he does not want to comment on Utusan Malaysia's recent article that Christians are plotting to take over the country.
"I do not want to comment anything … I'm not that interested in bringing up issues concerning religion unless there's clear proof.
"I haven't studied it (the article) completely so I don't want to make statements. I do not want to harm the country with unsubstantiated opinions."
Several police reports were lodged against Utusan Malaysia for its article on Saturday which claimed the DAP was conspiring with Christian leaders to replace Islam as the official religion of Malaysia, and to pave the way for a Christian prime minister.
Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi, who was named in the article and in a blog as the DAP leader who had organised the May 5 meeting with Christian pastors at Red Rock Hotel on Jalan Macalister, where the Christian agenda was allegedly agreed upon, lodged a report against Utusan and blogger Zakir Mohamad at the George Town district police headquarters today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has called on Malaysians to calm down and not to exploit religious issues now being played up in the Malaysian media.
"Calm down until we get the facts. It is not going to be of benefit to anyone. Whoever they are, whether they are the opposition or pro-government, they cannot and should not exploit this issue," he told Malaysian journalists, here after the 18th Asean Summit, Sunday.
The Prime Minister was commenting on a news report over a gathering in Penang where its participants had allegedly vowed to change the country's official religion to Christianity.
He said the government would investigate the matter and that it should not be blown out of proportion.
Malay rights group Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) cautioned the authorities against the influence of communism seeping into political parties, civil society groups and religious associations as well as business entities.
NONEPerkasa president Ibrahim Ali said today that his suspicions were based on a "string of subversive events" found in the public sphere lately.
"The Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) was disbanded... (the leader) Chin Peng can't enter the country but what happened to their followers, where are they?
"I believe these followers are still supporting the ideology and looking at recent upheavals, they have infiltrated political parties, NGOs and the community to cause tension resulting in chaos," said Ibrahim.
He insinuated that former CPM followers could be the ones fuelling racial discontent over a dubious conspiracy to change the country's official religion to Christianity, replacing Islam
Zaira (centre) admitted that there are no provisions in the constitution which state that the prime minister must be a Muslim.
Perkasa insisted today that the prime minister must be Malay-Muslim even though there is no constitutional criterion for the race and religion of the head of government.
Perkasa women’s wing youth chief Zaira Jaafar argued today that as long as the federal constitution ensures the sovereignty of the Malay rulers, then the country’s prime minister must be a Muslim.
She explained that while there are no provisions in the constitution which state that the prime minister must be a Muslim, it was implied.
Pembela, an umbrella body representing 19 Muslim NGOs, is unhappy with the government's handling of the Al-Kitab issue, claiming it threatens the position of Islam in the country.
Expressing disappointment over the government's 10-point solution presented to Christian groups to address the Al-Kitab controversy amicably, Pembela chairman Dr Yusri Mohamad is doubtful it will solve the issue.
"We are disappointed by the way the issue is handled (by the government) and certainly not comfortable in the way it is being pushed by the Christian groups.
A group of 30 men gathered at the main entrance of the National Mosque after prayers today.
Pembela spokesman Dr Yusri Mohamad accused Christians in Malaysia of harbouring a hidden agenda
An umbrella coalition of Muslim groups held a protest today and declared they were willing to shed blood against ‘extremist’ Christians that insult and ridicule the position of Islam in the country.
The Muslim Organisations in Defence of Islam (Pembela), comprising 20 groups, protested after Friday prayers at the National Mosque against Putrajaya’s release of Malay-language bibles and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s promise to never impound the Alkitab again.
A group of 30 men dressed in white shirts and skullcaps gathered at the main entrance of the mosque after prayers with placards saying “Allah is great! We Ansarullah (helpers of Allah) are watching you!”
Group spokesman Dr Yusri Mohamad said that the Christians are beginning to challenge and dismantle the status and sovereignty of Islam as the state religion.
Jamil said not all of the Shi’ites’ faith contradicted Sunni teachings.
Shi’ites are prohibited from spreading their teachings to adherents of Sunnah Wal Jamaah (Sunnis) but are free to practise them, Dewan Rakyat heard today.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said they are allowed in accordance with provisions in the constitution that gives the right of freedom of religion to people in this country.
“We don’t prohibit Shi’ite adherents to practise but there are acts in the states’ Islamic law that don’t allow preaching to adherents of Sunnah Wal Jamaah,” he said when replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Ismail Mohamed Said (BN-Kuala Krau).
Ismail wants to know if Shi’ite is a new teaching or sect and what action had been taken against its adherents.
Herald's editor, Father Lawrence makes his way into the High Court today
A jubilant Father Lawrence holds up an Arabic version of the Holy Bible, said to contain the word Allah
One of Umno’s known hawks, Pasir Salak MP Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, lambasted the High Court judgment on the ‘Allah’ case today, saying that it would not solve anything but only ignite racial and religious tension.
The High Court today lifted the home minister’s ban against the Catholic church from publishing the word “Allah” to refer to the Christian God in its weekly paper, Herald.
The landmark decision may be of joy for some 850,000 Catholics in the country but for Tajuddin, the suit itself, filed by Herald’s lawyers, is an act of provocation.
“What is their motive (for the suit) ? Why all of a sudden they want to use the word Allah when all this while they have been using the term God?
“This is definitely provocation, they are just using all this human rights, religious rights as excuses. This is sensitive to the Muslims and this will create racial and religious tension,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
The controversy over the word “Allah” has stirred huge debate among Christians and Muslims alike in Malaysia and attracted international attention as well.
The Home Minister, who controls giving the annual mandatory publishing permits in the country, had banned the church from using the word “Allah” outside the Muslim context.
But some have questioned if there can be a copyright over the word “Allah”, which Muslim representatives here say is a special word reserved to refer to the Muslim God, meaning “the one and only Almighty”.
The act of questioning the exclusivity of the word “Allah” for Muslims said Tajuddin is a clear indicator that “certain quarters” have become “bolder”.
“They have dared to do these things because the Muslims have been soft..but if you put some one in a corner, they will bounce back,” lamented the Pasir Salak MP.
“What the High Court thinks is right, may not necessarily be right outside (the court),” he added.
Meanwhile PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said Muslims must respect the decision of the High Court and remain calm.
“We must not be hasty and jump to conclusions. We should let the religious authorities to decide on its next course of action,” he said.
Asked if he agreed with the decision, Mahfuz ignored the question and reiterated that the country’s Muslims must respect the High Court decision and allow the religious authority to decide on its next course of action.
Though it is unclear if the Home Minister will seek to reverse the decision through the Appellate Court but he is likely to do so given the sensitivity of the issue.
Caution celebration over Allah Judgement.
However, despite the optimism, people are still wary as some fear that this may not be the end of it all, as the Home Ministry may still bring the matter to the Court of Appeal.
“We welcome the decision of the High Court because it affirms the constitutional rights guaranteed to religious communities under Article 11 of the Federal Constitution,” said Reverend Herman Shastri, who is the general-secretary for the Council of Churches.
Shastri, in a phone interview with The Malaysian Insider, affirmed that for many centuries Muslims and Christians had been living together in peace in Malaysia, and that the use of the word “Allah” has never been an issue of contention. With the decision, he hopes that Christians in the country may continue with their religious practices because the term itself is embedded in their daily worship as well as bible classes in the country.
“We hope that now that the matter has been solved, Muslims and Christians throughout the country can now focus on bringing peace and goodwill with one another, and contribute to the well-being of our nation.”
Non-governmental organisatios (NGOs) such as Penang-based Aliran who have long fought for liberal ideas of justice and equality lauded the court’s decision, but at the same time chose to inculcate a sense of ‘wary optimism’ as it looks at the decision made today.
“Aliran says InsyaAllah. The High Court has restored sanity to the issue by lifting the ban on the use of the word “Allah” among Christians, which to begin with was an insane ruling in the first place.
“Imagine, if in the past various communities had claimed exclusiveness to their words and prohibited the use of their words, we would be in a ridiculous situation,” said P Ramakrishnan, president of Aliran.
Ramakrisnan, in spite of the happy news, exercised caution in the ruling as he hoped that the matter would not be dragged on any further and be put to rest.
“Aliran hopes that this matter will be left to rest in pieces. It should not be a case of winning round 1 and losing round 2,” quipped the Aliran man alluding to the possibility that the decision of the court may not auger well with the Home Ministry.
Meanwhile, DAP Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua remained somewhat sceptical of the matter, although he initially expressed joy upon receiving the news.
“I am happy but two things need to be asked. I hope that the Home Ministry will not appeal the decision and not alter the freedom of religion to be practiced, and that the High Court judge who made the decision, I hope he would not be transferred to another court.”
Pua attested that the decision made showed a “strong community within the judges of the high court in exerting their influences.”
That being said, the PJ Utara MP feared that should the case be brought to the Court of Appeal, the Home Ministry would have a strong chance of winning as the “Appeal Court at many times functioned to serve the government of the day.”
The government had said that the ban was necessary to avoid confusing the majority Muslims in the country. Islam is the official religion in Malaysia.
But the church claimed the ban violates its constitutional rights to practice its religion freely.
According to Father Lawrence Andrew who edits Herald, the term “Allah” has been used by Christians in the region to refer to their God since four hundred years ago. He added that it is still actively used today.
Lawrence explained that “Allah” in the Christian context is used to refer to the trinitarian concept of “God the Father” which is different from the Muslim use of the verse to refer to the “one and only God”.
Herald’s editor claims the use of the word has not died out and is still being used in church worship among indigenous East Malaysians, who form a substantial number of the Christian faithful in the country.
The church first took the government to court last year after the home ministry threatened to revoke its annual publishing permit for Herald, Malaysia’s only Catholic paper.
It was forced to refresh its suit again this year after its 2008 permit expired without any decision from the court.
Banning Christians from using the word "Allah" unconsitution,court told.
The Catholic Church finally had its day in open court to defend its right to the use of the word “Allah”, arguing today banning its usage to refer to the Christian God was unconstitutional.
Months of legal arguments in the judges chambers and frequent disruptions by major Muslim groups had held back today’s proceedings from happening sooner.
Counsel for the Catholic Church, which publishes a weekly paper called Herald, argued that the Home Minister had gone against the Federal Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, when he introduced new conditions banning the use of the word “Allah” to mean any God other than the Muslim God.
Under section 12 of the Printing Presses and Publications Act, the Home Minister, who has full discretion in issuing a publishing licence and may place certain conditions to prevent abuse, had overstepped his power.
The team of five lawyers, led by Porres Royan, highlighted that the Federal Constitution protects the fundamental rights of religious minorities in Malaysia to carry out their worship freely.
In Article 3(1) of the Federal Constititution, Islam is acknowledged to be the official religion of the country, but at the same time, other religions can be practised in peace and harmony, said Porres.
The senior lawyer added that other parts of the Federal Constitution support the law equally, namely Article 11(3)(a) which states that every religion has the right to manage its own affairs, Article 10(1)(a) which guarantees freedom of speech and Article 8(1) which notes that every citizen is equal in the eyes of the law and entitled to equal protection under law.
Porres also noted that Christianity pre-dates Islam and made references to several early English-Malay versions of the Bible, including one by renowned Malay scholar Munsyi Abdullah who in 1852 filled in the word for God in the Christian sense as “Allah”.
Porres said several states had passed a law to “control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine among persons professing the religion of Islam” but had been misread to “criminalise” the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims.
“Even if section 9 is valid, the use of the word 'Allah' by one non-Muslim or by a person professing a non-Islamic religion to another cannot by any stretch of the imagination amount to the propagation of a religious belief or doctrine among persons professing the religion of Islam,” he said.
“In the case of the Herald, Herald is a propagation of the Catholic Church meant for Christians and is not meant for persons professing the religion of Islam. In fact, the second condition imposed by the minister, that is endorsing the word 'Terhad' and that only distribution is in churches.
“It must mean there is no propagation among persons professing Islam,” the lawyer stressed.
The Home Minister's decision seems to turn guidelines for getting a publishing permit into a rule by which it may shut down and shut out bodies which publish dissenting views.
Influential Muslim groups, such as the state Islamic councils for the Federal Territory, Selangor and Penang among four others and the Chinese-Muslim association, which had been kicked out of the fight between the Herald and the Home Minister by the High Court previously, returned today in another bid to stop the suit.
They put in a fresh application to be made parties jointly with the lawyers for the home minister before High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan in her chambers this morning, which delayed the hearing from taking place in open court for almost two hours.
According to the church's counsel, the judge said she would reserve judgment on the Muslim groups for later.
Hearing will resume with submissions from senior federal counsel for the Home Minister after the lunch break.
Senior federal counsel from the Attorney General's Chambers, Datuk Kamaludin Md Said, argued that the church has no right to sue the home minister after it had applied for and received a publishing permit when it knew fully there were conditions attached.
“Condition is part and parcel of the permit, which is in Form B. Permit without condition is not a permit,” Kamaludin said.
He added that the home minister also has the right to add on or change the conditions at any time and permit-holders are forced to accept those new terms and conditions wholesale.
Pointing to Section 13(a)(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act, he told the court it was an “ouster clause” which protects the home minister's decisions from being challenged in court.
“You cannot challenge the condition. You can only challenge if the minister refuse to grant permit,” the government lawyer said.
“If minister refuses to grant permit upon application or subsequently revokes or suspends permit, then there is issue, meaning it can be challenged,” Kamaludin said.
He also claimed that the Printing Presses and Publications Act was among several laws provided for by the Federal Constititution to control the amount of “freedom” stipulated under Article 10, when countering the church's argument that the minister had acted unconstitutionally.
On the same score, the court must reject the church's claim that the state propagation enactments were “unconstitutional”.
“You cannot come to court and happily say Section 9 of state enactments is unfortunate. There must be some reasons for why such laws were enacted,” Kamaludin said.
The anti-propagation law was meant to “avoid creating confusion and misunderstanding” among the majority Muslim Malaysians who have grown up knowing the term “Allah” to be exclusive to their community.
He noted that Muslims all over the world – regardless of their language background – used the term “Allah” as a “special name” to refer to “the one and only God” and described the church's argument as “perverse” because in Islam, unlike Christianity, there is no alternative name.
“The applicant's submission that 'Allah' is 'God' and 'Tuhan' is 'Lord' is perverse,” the senior federal counsel said.
Kamaludin dismissed the church's stress on the historical significance of Christians in the country and region using the word “Allah” long before Muslims did as “not relevant” and added that there was no proof today the word was still being used in its original context among Malaysian Christians.
But he may have gone too far when he tried to counter the widespread use of Arab Christians who also use the word “Allah” to refer to their God.
Kamaludin claimed that Arab Christians believed that God was one, unlike Malaysian Christians who subscribe to the “trinity” concept of “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost”.
Lawyers for the church appeared so stunned speechless by Kamaludin's claim, they could only shake their heads in disbelief.
Hearing will resume tomorrow morning with further submissions from Kamaludin's colleague, Mahamad Naser Disa.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak urged Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, who faces caning after being found guilty of drinking alcohol, to appeal her sentence.
A Malaysian state declared it would not carry out a caning sentence on a model found guilty of drinking beer until after the holy month of Ramadan.
The muslim model sentenced to be caned for drinking beer won a surprise reprieve when religious officials delayed her punishment until after the fasting month of Ramadan.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was sentenced by a religious court last month to six strokes, making her the first woman to face caning under Islamic law in Malaysia, a moderate Muslim-majority country.
Kartika, a Malaysian married to a Singaporean, was caught drinking by religious authorities at a hotel in Kuantan on Dec 11, 2007.
She said she had three glasses of beer before the hotel was raided. She and the other patrons were asked to provide urine samples.
The 20-month ordeal had added to her distress, she said, adding that she respected the law banning alcohol for Muslims and was determined to go through with the punishment – six strokes of the cane.
She will be fully clothed and kneeling, and struck on the backside with a small thin cane using moderate force.
Four court appearances over the offence forced her to quit her full-time hospital job and she has since had to rely on part-time modelling jobs. “I only declared that I was a model to protect my full-time job ... I felt very humiliated because people used my status as a part-time model to publicise my case,” she said.
In 2007 she was arrested in Cherating in Pahang, Malaysia, for drinking Tiger beer in a hotel bar, and in 2009 she was sentenced by a religious court to six strokes of the cane and a fine. Only Muslims are subject to the religious court system, which has nothing to do with the ordinary criminal courts in Malaysia.
Muslim model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno
Shukarno Mutalib, 60, (right), the father of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, meeting with Halim Ahmad, the chief assistant director of Jaip (Akidah branch), at his home in Kampung Jawang Utara in Sungai Siput.
Family time: Kartika spending quality time with her son Muhammad Azfar, seven, and daughter Wann Kaitlynn Sari Dewi, five, at her father’s house in Sungai Siput, Perak, yesterday.
Kartika response to her postponement.
"I am speechless," Kartika told reporters, adding that the Islamic officials had not told her whether she would be caned later. "I want to know what my status is. I want a black and white statement from them."
The mother-of-two has stared down religious authorities by saying she is ready to be caned, refusing to appeal against her sentence, and challenging them to cane her in public.
"I do not know in what situation I'm in. I'm clueless. I do not know if I am freed, I am in limbo," said the part-time model, who was dressed in a purple Muslim headscarf and a flowing traditional "baju kurung" outfit.
Sahfri Abdul Aziz, a legislator from Pahang in charge of religious affairs, said the punishment had been suspended on the order of the Attorney-General until after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began last week.
Kartika Father response to the postponement
Kartika's father Shukarno Mutalib, 60, reacted angrily to the about-face and the confusion over whether the caning would go ahead, and said it would reflect badly on Islam, which forbids drinking alcohol.
"My daughter wants the sentence to be done. I'm afraid that people will mock the religion," he said. "Don't make my daughter a toy to play with," he said.
Kartika, who has lived in neighbouring Singapore for many years, had pleaded guilty to drinking alcohol at a hotel nightclub.
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A Muslim model on Sunday said she was ready to face a caning penalty next week for breaching Malaysia's Shariah law, which forbids Muslims to consume alcohol.
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A Malaysian woman is due to become the first woman to be caned under the country's Islamic laws after being caught drinking beer in a hotel.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno's says she accepts her punishment, but critics say drinking should be viewed as a personal sin, not a state crime.
