T'ganu passes Syariah Criminal Offences Amendment Enactment

State Syariah Implementation, Education and Higher Education Committee chairman Datuk Satiful Bahari Mamat said the amendment to the enactment also involved Section 33A (women acting like men); Section 36A (preparation for sodomy); and Section 29A (pregnant or giving birth to a child out of wedlock).

"We are trying to make use of the opportunity made available by maximising the punishment based on Section 356, namely a three-year jail term, a fine of RM5,000 and six lashes.

"With this amendment, we hope that the well-being of Muslims, especially in Terengganu, will be better protected," he told reporters after the state assembly session at Wisma Darul Iman, here today.

Satiful Bahari said on the inclusion of the section involving witchcraft and sorcery, a special committee had been established under the Terengganu Religious Affairs Department to monitor the matter to ensure that the Muslim community in Terengganu did not seek alternative treatments that conflicted with Islamic law and that punishment would only be meted out on individuals who provide such treatments, and not patients.

As for adding the section on women acting like men, he said this was because the existing legal provisions only involved men acting like women.

"Because in the past, there might not have been much of this issue (women acting like men). But we see now that 'pengkid' (tomboy or lesbian) cases and the like are becoming more widespread, so the state government intends to curb this issue," he said.

In addition to the inclusion of the four sections, he said today's amendment also involved 21 existing sections and would come into force after receiving the consent of the Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.