SIS outrage over light sentence on Quran teacher over molest

PETALING JAYA: Sisters in Islam (SIS) has expressed outrage over the light penalty on a Quran teacher for molesting his five-year-old pupil.
Mohd Redzuan Zakarian, 33, was jailed three months fined RM6,000 by the magistrate's court after he was found guilty of molesting his pupil five years ago.
The victim had complained of experiencing pain on her private parts after returning from religious classes at the accused's house in Sungai Besi on Feb 9, 2017.
The mother examined her daughter and found redness on the victim's genital area before bringing her to a hospital.
"While the charge, under Section 354 of the Penal Code, provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years or a fine or whipping or any two of the penalties, upon conviction, the magistrate's lenient sentence is equivalent to a slap on the wrist and does not do justice in reflecting the severity of the violation," SIS said in a a statement.
"We trust religious teachers to educate our children on spirituality and magistrates to uphold justice. If neither of are able to bring about redemption in a despicable case like this, then we are further away than we thought in safeguarding the rights of children in our country and protecting them from violence and harm."
SIS said the punishment must fit the crime.
"The ordeal of trauma experienced by such a young victim must be taken seriously into account and reflect that we, as a society, find such vile acts completely unacceptable," it added.