Terengganu mulls establishing special detention centre for syariah offenders

KUALA TERENGGANU: Terengganu will consider a recommendation by a Syariah High Court judge to set up a special detention centre specially for syariah offenders to serve their time.
Mentri Besar Dr Ahmad Shamsuri Mokhtar said though this was just a proposal, it was realistic and could be implemented depending on the situation.
However, he said its implementation would not be done in haste.
"The state government takes the views and recommendation of the Syariah Court Judge seriously, but we will have to discuss its pros and cons first," he told reporters after officiating the state-level National Sports Day at Dataran Batu Buruk, attended by some 12,000 people, here today.
"We will check whether this is within the jurisdiction of the state government or its for the federal government to decide. But in any case we will make a thorough study before making any decision," he added.
On Oct 10, Judge Kamalruazmi Ismail proposed the establishment of a special detention centre for syariah offenders for the purpose of restoring their faith and broadening their moral horizon, while protecting them from other more serious criminals such as rape or robbery offenders.
He said this before reading the judgment on the case of a widow who was sentenced to four strokes after pleading guilty to a charge of acting in preparation for prostitution on Sept 19.
On the issue of syariah punishment being refuted by the public and that there were those who had threatened to boycott the state tourism industry, Ahmad Shamsuri said the people should look at it with an open mind.
He said it was unfair to continue blaming the state government over the issue as every state or country has guidelines and laws that must be followed. — Bernama