The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president-elect of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim, has said:
The issue of public caning needs to be handled with care, as one could easily find themselves accused of being anti-Islam for disagreeing with it.
In other words, “Islamophobic.” Ibrahim, who is set to become Prime Minister in two years, is absolutely right. Anywhere you go in the world and criticize Islam, you will be deemed “Islamophobic” and/or much worse; but the West should not be handling this serious topic “with care” when the worst human rights abuses are being inflicted upon people. Unfortunately, the Washington Examiner decided to do just that: handle the issue “with care.” The publication addressed the same issue of canning in Malaysia, and rather than sympathize with the victims of this barbaric practice and tell it like it is, the author of the story stated:
At the most grotesque end of this warped application of Sharia — or Islamic — law is the activity of groups like the Islamic State and the Taliban. ISIS holds public stoning trials for young women, the Taliban keeps women in a condition of servitude.
Such assertions are straight from the playbook of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s “Islamophobia” Observatory, bent on portraying the worst abuses that are committed in the name of Islam as though they were aberrations of some kind. To openly and accurately attribute such abuses to clear obedience to Islamic texts renders one “Islamophobic.” There are many Islamic countries that practice barbaric punishments such as stoning. This is certainly not a “warped application of Sharia,” exclusive to the Islamic State and the Taliban. It is mainstream, practiced in countries such as Yemen, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan.
It is written in the Hadith:
The Jews came to Allah’s Apostle and told him that a man and a woman from amongst them had committed illegal sexual intercourse. Allah’s Apostle said to them, “What do you find in the Torah (Old Testament) about the legal punishment of Ar-Rajm (stoning)?” They replied, (But) we announce their crime and lash them.” Abdullah bin Salam said, “You are telling a lie; Torah contains the order of Rajm.” They brought and opened the Torah and one of them solaced his hand on the Verse of Rajm and read the verses preceding and following it. Abdullah bin Salam said to him, “Lift your hand.” When he lifted his hand, the Verse of Rajm was written there. They said, “Muhammad has told the truth; the Torah has the Verse of Rajm. The Prophet then gave the order that both of them should be stoned to death. (‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar said, “I saw the man leaning over the woman to shelter her from the stones.” (Bukhari, vol. 4, bk. 56, no. 829)
Malik related to me from Yaqub ibn Zayd ibn Talha from his father Zayd ibn Talha that Abdullah ibn Abi Mulayka informed him that a woman came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and informed him that she had committed adultery and was pregnant. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to her, “Go away until you give birth.” When she had given birth, she came to him. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to her, “Go away until you have suckled and weaned the baby.” When she had weaned the baby, she came to him. He said, “Go and entrust the baby to someone.” She entrusted the baby to someone and then came to him. He gave the order and she was stoned. (Muwatta Malik 1507)
“Disagree with caning issue and risk being labelled anti-Islam, says Anwar,” by Looi Sue-Chern, The Malaysian Insight, September 4, 2018:
THE issue of public caning needs to be handled with care, as one could easily find themselves accused of being anti-Islam for disagreeing with it, said Anwar Ibrahim…..
“Malaysia’s caning of lesbians illustrates the continuing crisis in political Islam”, by Tom Rogan, Washington Examiner, Sseptember 4, 2018:
Malaysia’s caning on Monday of two women convicted of having a sexual relationship reflects the continuing crisis in political Islam.
Too often, Islamic political thought remains focused on punishing select crimes of morality rather than advancing the causes of good governance and economic empowerment. After all, the public caning reflects a familiar image of justice in too many Islamic systems. At the most grotesque end of this warped application of Sharia — or Islamic — law is the activity of groups like the Islamic State and the Taliban. ISIS holds public stoning trials for young women, the Taliban keeps women in a condition of servitude. And those women who agitate for their natural rights of freedom face assassination. But more broadly, women continue to face formal and informal structural prejudices in many Islam-governed nations.
Sadly, Islamic political movements continue to subordinate basic human rights to other concerns such as the misguided protection of Islamic sacraments. And the consequence of this disdain for defeating prejudice is felt beyond the plight of women. Because it also fuels the fostering of political cultures which accept political cronyism. From Malaysia to Qatar, Islam-centered governments continue to ignore the basic tenets of good government. And in that absence of good government, young people in particular are left without social mobility and extremist, Islamic movements find new recruits to their nihilistic world view.
There are a few causes for hope. Under Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia is advancing greater female emancipation…..