your say 'Is there a possibility that a judge is not fair or wrong in his consideration? Is there no mercy in Islam towards first-time offenders?' he asked.

Beer whipping: Dr M has some troubling questions

Yuvan : I agree with Dr M's comments. Syariah Court judges should show that Islam is a merciful religion, especially when they pass judgement on first time offenders. The whole world is watching.

chipmunk : Our body is to be kept holy for God to dwell in us. So how do we punish a person who smokes, drinks, gambles and take drugs? What other punishments are there for people who walk away free after even committing murder?

DoctorNo: This issue has become more than a religious one; the whole world is watching and the nation's reputation is at stake. The PM, as our leader, has remained mum till today and has come out with a lame statement requesting the victim to appeal. What if she refuses to do so? A leader must make a timely definitive decision, not sit back and beg the victim to appeal!

Au Yong : We all know that a lot of Muslims take alcohol including royalty and VIPs. If everyone who drinks is charged and caned, the syariah courts will be booked till the next century.

McHamster

: Is the body of Islamic laws so sacrosanct that they cannot be changed or repealed altogether? The Qur'an did not prescribe any punishment. It merely prohibits the consumption of alcohol and it was clear it was because of its intoxicating effects. It was Caliph Umar, one of Prophet Muhammad's companions, who introduced the punishment of caning for alcohol consumption. Now, the religious zealots took the decree of Umar as sacrosanct while ignoring the fact that laws can be formulated, revised and repealed.

Najib advises beer-drinking model to appeal

Daniel Liang : Clearly, this is a face saving measure to find a way out to this mess. The catch is for Kartika to appeal, and the appeal judge to overturn the punishment of caning. Then, the whole saga will be over. This incident has certainly given Malaysia and Islam bad publicity around the world. Even if Kartika walks away without caning, damage to Malaysia's image has been done.

Au Yong: I think this lady is very smart. The moment the Syariah court sentenced her to caning and she quickly accepted the punishment, they painted themselves into a corner. Now the court and the BN Government are appealing to her to appeal the sentence, so that they can appear merciful and cancel the sentence. But this smart lady, who has since become well known throughout the whole world has stuck to her guns and refused. I salute her. She should be a politician.

R2D2 : PAS Youth, just like clockwork, has come out endorsing Kartika's caning. Why are some people so easily manipulated?

Mel Taib : Why should she appeal? The sentence of whipping her should never have been imposed in the first place. Religious authorities here are taking the route of the Taliban. Is this what we want for Malaysia?

Women NGOs want justice for Kartika

1malaysia: Caning is not the kind of capital punishment that would bring death. People, please respect the law as written.

lvbala: Kartika pleaded guilty to a charge of drinking alcohol - an offence under the Syariah law in Pahang. As a symbolic deterrence, the Syariah Court ordered the maximum sentence to be meted out: RM5,000 fine and 6 lashes of the whip.

But making an issue a major headline across newspapers and dragging it on? It should be stopped!

Xroy : What about those who take drugs? Why is one woman punished for drinking with her husband? If he a Muslim, why only take it on her? Why allow Muslims to work in breweries, should they not be made to stop altogether? Is this Islamic justice? The world is not making noise about the punishment but the circumstances in which it is being carried out, and now the PM tells her to appeal instead of correcting the wrong.

Don't take away her dignity : She has not committed a criminal offense, if it is an offense at all. She has not harmed anyone. Why inflict pain and humiliation on her? To mete out punishment for such an offense, is tantamount to say that we are as holy as God. Jesus says, "Let him who has not sinned cast the first stone." Compassion and understanding are what we need today to move towards a more caring civil society, not punishment for an offence' that has not harmed anyone except maybe the offender. Counseling her and not punishing her will be a better method.