Maldives Parliament Sends Penal Code Back To Committee Over Concerns About Consistency With Sharia Law

In the Maldives yesterday, Parliament rejected a draft of a new Penal Code that has been under review by Parliamentary committees for seven years.  Minivan News reports that the proposed law-- the first draft of which was prepared by University of Pennsylvania law professor Paul Robinson-- was sent back to committee for more revisions. Many of the opponents of the current draft say that it does not adequately reflect Sharia law. In particular they are concerned that it does not reflect certain fixed punishments required by Islamic law. More broadly, another lawmaker reflected the view of some scholars that it is blasphemous to "rephrase divine laws in Islamic Sharia into separate articles in a law." The Maldives claims to be 100% Muslim. Other critics were concerned about the short time (3 days) the bill was open for amendments from the floor of Parliament.  A Dec. 24 Minivan News article has further background on the proposed Penal Code and links to the two volumes of text and commentary.