The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, through the Secretariat of Advocacy and Empowerment of Muslim Women, will organise an international conference on the sentence of caning , said minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

She said the conference will discuss the sentence often imposed in Muslim countries.

"The ministry hopes that through the conference, which will be attended by ministers and experts, we can make a comparative study whether the sentence is normally practised among Muslim countries," she told reporters.

She was speaking after signing a memorandum of cooperation between the ministry and Oman's Social Development Ministry in Kuala Lumpur today.

rafidah shahrizat wanita umno mt pwtc 021208 shahrizat Shahrizat ( right ) said the proposal for the conference, expected to be held as early as three months from now, will be submitted to the cabinet soon.

"We can share ideas and practices and gain in-depth knowledge on how each country views the caning sentence," she said.

Shahrizat also extended an invitation to Oman's Social Development Minister Sharifa Khalfan Al Yahyaeiyah to attend the conference as one of the speakers.

Meanwhile, Sharifa said Oman has no provisions for the caning sentence either under Syariah or civil law.

On the memorandum, Shahrizat said it covers issues regarding women, families, the elderly, children and the disabled, as well as on gender studies.

"We hope that through the memorandum, we can exchange best practices and share experiences," she added.

- Bernama