Model fined and ordered whipped for drinking beer

[foofighter]

_http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/7/21/courts/4358277&sec=courts

The Syariah High Court here has fined a model RM5,000 fine and ordered her whipped six times after she pleaded guilty to consuming an alcoholic drink in public last year.
Pleads guilty: Kartika at the Syariah High Court in Kuantan Monday.-Bernama

Syariah Judge Abdul Rahman Yunus said Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor, 32, from Sungai Siput in Perak would be imprisoned three years if she failed to pay the fine.

Kartika was accused of consuming beer at the Cherating Bay Lounge of the Legend Hotel in Cherating at 11.40pm on July 11.

She was charged under Section 136 of the Pahang Administration of the Islam Law and Malay Custom Enactment.

The accused, who cried when the judgement was delivered, said she would appeal. — Bernama

It's cases like this, where individuals are harshly penalized for relatively minor "crimes", that show just how hypocritical and broken this society is. There is widespread corruption in Malaysia on all levels, there is racial issues, widespread abuse of maids, and so on, and yet for the religious patriarchy to remain in power they choose to penalize girls like Kartika in this way, just to show their power.

The above article suggests that she did not agree with the decision, and yet in todays paper she had suddenly changed her mind and wanted her whipping to be carried out as soon as possible. Her father, of course, agreed to the courts decision. Probably there had been a fair amount of "persuasion" on her, to get her to "realize" how big of a crime she had committed.

All is allowed in order to control the masses, and ensure that they are obedient. It's so sad.

 

[foofighter]

Followups in todays The Star on this. From the Views section (i.e. not written by the magazine itself):

Punishment too severe for the crime
The report "Model sentenced to whipping and fine for drinking beer" (The Star, July 20) is deeply disturbing and unsettling. Little did Kartika Sari expect to be prosecuted and persecuted in a fashion reminiscent of extremist regimes in the Middle East, Afghanistan or Pakistan just for consuming alcohol.
Few would expect to be fined a hefty amount, imprisoned and flogged for quenching their thirst. Certainly, no one thought that this would happen in modernday Malaysia, which professes to be a progressive Muslim nation.
There is an advert for one of the beers which claims "to reach parts that no other beer will reach". In this case, it certainly has. It has managed to offend the sensitive ego, male prejudices and inflated male macho pride of the Syariah officers who conducted the raid.
What is Kartika Sari's crime? That she drank alcohol? Or that she consumed it in a public place?
Naturally, the whole world is aware that Muslims are forbidden from consuming alcohol. But did she harm anyone with her drinking? Was she so drunk and incapacitated that she made a public spectacle of herself? Or was she so intoxicated that she drove erratically and was a danger to herself and to others?
Kartika Sari did none of those things. She did not drive whilst drunk. She did not damage public property and possibly the only damage she did was to harm her liver.
Her crime is between her and her God. Let her receive her punishment when she eventually meets her Maker.
The worse crime is that we, and our society, allow and condone such terrible things to continue under the guise of protecting the religion. If we really want to make her an example to others and if we really want to use her as a showcase for errant Muslims, then why do we stop at her?
I believe there are more serious crimes such as abuse of women, taking on of several wives without any regard for the welfare of the children, violence and disrespect against women and children, the unfair distribution of wealth and inheritance rights.
I have not heard of any stoning of men who have been guilty of committing adultery or sexual harassment. Another good example is the case of the man who circulated indecent photos of his wife. His punishment is nothing compared with that of Kartika.
It seems that as a nation we practice double standards, first in how we treat our citizens and second in how we have different punishment and treatment of our womenfolk.
Do we seriously expect tourists to flock in great numbers to Pahang, or Malaysia, for that matter? How the rest of the world views us in our treatment of women is important.
Sadly, Malaysia has failed miserably. It acts as if it can exist as an island nation and not as a progressive, moderate and tolerant Muslim country, one which all Malaysians, Muslim and otherwise, as well as the rest of the world, can look up to as a beacon of hope.

That this punishment has nothing to do with the crime is obvious. That Malaysia is not a progressive nation is also obvious. As but one example, last year yoga was banished as it was deemed that practitioners would be "lured away" from Islam as a consequence. The mentality of the "jealous god" (small "g") is all-pervasive, and the idea of "progressive Islam" pretty much amounts to "doing the wrong thing righter", rather than "doing the right thing". Malaysia will not progress in any significant way until the core problems are dealt with, and religion pays a big part there.

In the same issue, Sisters of Islam weigh in on this case:

SIS: Review sentence
The whipping of women, as a form of judicial punishment by the Syariah courts, should be reviewed, said Sisters in Islam (SIS).
The movement said many countries had already abolished whipping or corporeal punishment, as research had shown this was not an effective deterrent, event to violent or sexual crimes.
Under state Syariah Criminal Offence Codes, only Pahang, Perlis and Kelantan provide whipping for women.
SIS was commenting about the recent decision by the Kuantan Syariah High Court to pubish a part-time model by fining her RM5000 and give her six strokes of the rotan after she pleaded guilty to consuming beer.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor, 32, had expressed repentance and wanted the court to expedite the whipping sentence, so that she could focus on continuing life with her family and two children.
"It is unfortunate that many Muslim countries, including Malaysia, have resorted to carrying out whipping, in the name of Islam or the mistaken belief that it acts as an effective deterrent," said SIS executive director Dr Hamidah Marican.
On Wednesday, the Syariah Lawyers Association expressed regret over statements by Women, Family and COmmunity Development Minister Datuk Seri Sharizat Abdul Jalil and Titiwangsa MP Dr Lo'lo Mohd Ghazali on this issue.
Shahrizat said she was shocked by the decision and urged for a fair and just punishment.
Dr Lo'lo was surprised whipping of women was sanctioned by the Syariah Court, adding that punishment should be educational, not to cause hurt.
Association deputy president Musa Awang said that although whipping was not allowed by civil courts, Islam did not differentiate between men and women offenders.
"Although the two leaders intended to defend women, they should understand the whipping methods according to Islam," he said.
He added the whipping implemented by Syariah Court was different from that done by civil courts.
For instance, Musa said a rotan or a small branch, not more than 1.22m long and not more than 1.25cm think, should be used.
"The whipping does not hit the face, head, stomach, breast or private parts. It must be done using moderate force," said Musa.

Anyone who has read "In Sheeps Clothing" will recognize the traits of a covert aggressive personality in the last statements by Musa Awang: diversion, rationalization, minimization are good signs of a pathological mind.

Sadly, during my now one year here in Malaysia, it seems that narcissistic and psychopathic people are not only common, but also socially accepted as the norm. And with the ability for these people to marry up to four wives at the same time, they are breeding very very fast. Some of the dysfunctional families I have encountered here are quite amazing, with so much pathological behaviour going on not only within the family, but also affecting the rest of the society. It is a depressing state of things.

 

[anart]

Malaysia will not progress in any significant way until the core problems are dealt with, and religion pays a big part there. [...]

Some of the dysfunctional families I have encountered here are quite amazing, with so much pathological behaviour going on not only within the family, but also affecting the rest of the society. It is a depressing state of things.

I hate to have to point out the obvious, but this is true of the entire planet - the ENTIRE planet.

 

[Vulcan59]

Hi foofighter,

I think it's a lot worst across the Causeway in that little country called Singapore or the "Modern Middle Kingdom" as Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, one time ex-prime minister of Malaysia calls it. I was born and lived in Singapore all my life till a few years ago when I migrated to NZ.

Living and having to work in that pathocratic society made me literally sick. It's a lot better here in NZ but as Anart points out, it is true of "the ENTIRE planet".

 

[foofighter]

I hate to have to point out the obvious, but this is true of the entire planet - the ENTIRE planet.

Very true. When I first noticed that I noticed the dysfunctionality here in Malaysia, I therefore wondered if the main reason I saw it was because it was dysfunctional in a different way compared to back home. I.e. Sweden is just as dysfunctional, but since that is "normal" for me I don't see it (well, not as much anyway), just as Malaysians don't see the dysfunctionality going on here. When you grow up in a particular mentality it takes a lot to distance oneself from it and see it for what it is. When you are exposed to something different it is more "in your face", so to speak.

 

[foofighter]

I think it's a lot worst across the Causeway in that little country called Singapore or the "Modern Middle Kingdom" as Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, one time ex-prime minister of Malaysia calls it. I was born and lived in Singapore all my life till a few years ago when I migrated to NZ.

Living and having to work in that pathocratic society made me literally sick. It's a lot better here in NZ but as Anart points out, it is true of "the ENTIRE planet".

That is also very true. Visiting Singapore gave me the creeps. Everything is "nice and tidy", and yet it has a "ghostly" feel to it. And it is the first time ever that I had seen Apache military helicopters for myself, and it was when I was visiting the Singapore Zoo. The helicopters were doing some training exercises. Being in a "family place" and seeing such extreme machines of war at the same time was weird. The stories I've heard about how "political dissidents" are handled are also very disturbing.

One taxi driver we went with, suffering from the Stockholm syndrome, said that it was such a good thing, because everything worked. In Malaysia, where it was way too democratic for his taste, nothing gets done. Just political squabbling. While that is true, the main reason for things-not-happening in Malaysia has less to do with it being a democratic country, and more to do with money for projects getting "lost". There's so many projects here that have started with big budgets only to fizzle because the money was out even before the project had begun. C'est la vie...

 

[anart]

Very true. When I first noticed that I noticed the dysfunctionality here in Malaysia, I therefore wondered if the main reason I saw it was because it was dysfunctional in a different way compared to back home. I.e. Sweden is just as dysfunctional, but since that is "normal" for me I don't see it (well, not as much anyway), just as Malaysians don't see the dysfunctionality going on here. When you grow up in a particular mentality it takes a lot to distance oneself from it and see it for what it is. When you are exposed to something different it is more "in your face", so to speak.

Yes, it's the old 'dirty water' analogy. A fish who grows up swimming in dirty water has no idea it's dirty - we get desensitized to what is around us.

 

[Starlight]

What do one do when the entire planet is dysfunctional and pathological? And worst when one is living in a society that expect one to conform with it. In my experience, I have learned to be subservient and hold all thoughts and belief to myself. I have never before spoken out loud to what I think of the constant appalling behaviour of the society until recently.

The society seemed to have certain "expectations" of how one must conduct oneself in public and it is just that the model, Kartika, was most unlucky. It is so very very sad that she had to endure the pain and humiliation just so that someone can "show their power" and happily doing it "in the name of God". And while some of the women of Malaysia (leaders and otherwise) expressed shocked by the ruling, no man ever came forward to say anything and the one that came forward is the one who are ever so "rightous" condoning the punishment!!

It is horrible and I have to submit to this every.single.day. or do I?

 

[Vulcan59]

And I should have added earlier that Singapore is not an Islamic country. It is supposedly a multilingual, multicultural and multi-religious society and yet in many ways, it is a lot worst.

The helicopter training area for the the Singapore Air Force happens to be right over the zoo and reservoir areas which is why you saw them there. That area is used for general training and the more advance training is done overseas.

 

[Beau]

What do one do when the entire planet is dysfunctional and pathological? And worst when one is living in a society that expect one to conform with it. In my experience, I have learned to be subservient and hold all thoughts and belief to myself. I have never before spoken out loud to what I think of the constant appalling behaviour of the society until recently.

That's exactly what the power elite want, and one of the effects of pathology on the human population. If everyone were willing to start networking and sharing perspectives, who knows what the effect would be!