A married Muslim couple have sued the Perak state government for wrongful detention for the Islamic offence of "khalwat", which forbids an unmarried man and woman from being in close proximity, reports said today.

Abdul Halim Zainal Abidin, 47, and his wife Nooriah Mohamad Ali, 45, named two religious department officers, the Perak state government and the state council for religious and Malay customs in their suit.

The couple, married for 23 years, said their ordeal began in October two years ago when the officers raided a rented room and accused them of "khalwat", handcuffed them and detained them for seven hours.

Humiliation

They were released only when a friend brought their marriage certificate to the police station.

Abdul Halim, a civil servant, said the incident had humiliated his wife and their three children. He said he delayed taking the case to court because he had expected an apology from the state religious department.

Some 60 percent of the country's 23 million population are Muslims, who are subject to Islamic Sharia laws for civil matters such as marriage and divorce. — AFP