Malaysian Court's Caning Sentence Commuted By Sultan, Over Objections of Muslim Lawyers' Group

In a widely publicized decision last year, a Shariah court in Malaysia imposed a sentence of caning on Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno who was found drinking beer at a hotel bar. (See prior posting 1, 2.) Today's Malaysian Insider reports that the sentence has now been commuted by the Sultan of Pahang, who is also head of Islam in the Malaysian state. He ordered her to instead perform 3 weeks community service at a children's home. However the Malaysian Muslim Lawyer's Association is disputing the commutation, saying that it may not be in accordance with Islamic law.