The punishment imposed on a Muslim model caught for consuming beer has drawn mixed responses from various quarters, with some backing it and others dismissing it as severe.

Harussani Zakaria Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, was sentenced by the Kuantan Syariah Court to six strokes of the cane for the offence since Islam forbids Muslims from consuming alcoholic beverages.

Commenting on the raging debate, Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria said it should have been 80 lashes instead of six.

"Actually, the offence is to be punished with 80 strokes. So if it is only six, what is the need for all the hue and cry?" he told Malaysiakini .

The hudud punishment for this offence has been a matter of debate between members of the Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), where some argue that it is 40 strokes, while others say it should be 80.

Hadi's dengue analogy

Meanwhile, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang explained that caning under hudud does not seek to torture the offender but rather to teach a lesson to the person as well as serve as a warning to others.

hadi awang interview 040208 smile He also stressed that the source of the problem should be tackled, which is to completely ban the sale of alcoholic beverages to Muslims.

To illustrate his point, the religious scholar used the analogy of battling dengue.

He said it was pointless to kill the mosquito when drains are left clogged to serve as a breeding ground for its larvae.

As for the caning, Hadi said there are many differences between the type carried out in prison for criminals and those who breached Islamic laws.

In the case of the latter, he said the offender is fully dressed and the person canning the offender is not allowed to raise his arm beyond a certain point.

"The strokes are also not allowed to hurt the offender, and are carried out on several parts of the body.

"In view of this, we call upon the authorities not to be overzealous in implementing the punishment to the point of giving the wrong impression about Islamic laws," he said.

No panel of appeal

In a related development, a renowned syariah lawyer said the Pahang Syariah court's appeal panel has not been appointed and therefore cases such as Kartika's cannot be heard.

subashini mohd shafi court case pc 030407 zainul rijal Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar told Malaysiakini that there were two other offenders sentenced to whipping in the state whose appeals have yet to be heard for the past four years.

Furthermore, he said the prosecution and sentencing in Kartika's case had been "clear until it was clouded" because of the intervention of certain parties with vested interests, including members of the executive.

"If it is true that the attorney-general sent a letter asking for the punishment to be postponed, then this violates the state's administrative procedure as his (the AG's) powers are restricted to the federal level," he added.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno Yesterday, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had advised the model to appeal while Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil also called for a review.

Apart from the duo, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad also raised several questions over the issue.

Kartika's ( photo ) punishment, which was to be carried out this week, has been postponed until after the month of Ramadhan.