A new state regulation in Malaysia penalises women who dress like men

Terengganu state in northeastern Malaysia would penalise women who dress like men and become pregnant outside of marriage. The state forbade “witchcraft and sorcery” as well. South-East Asian human rights activists are furious about the action. The Terengganu state parliament passed regulations earlier this month that include legal provisions for penalties such as fines up to 5,000 ringgit ($1,134), three years in prison, and six lashings, or any combination of the three.

Up to 14 civil rights organisations, including the All Women’s Action Society, claimed that the new laws go against people’s rights to equality, non-discrimination, and freedom of speech.

Terengganu is ruled by the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, an Islamic fundamentalist party.

The Malaysian state’s new law follows a similar move by neighbouring Indonesia, which banned extramarital sex and increased the punishment for abortions. The bill, which was passed last week and became law, also places restrictions on the amount of criticism that can be levelled against Indonesia’s government institutions.

New laws for Muslims’ “well-being”

The “well-being of Muslims” would be better protected by the new laws, according to Satiful Bahari Mamat, a state religious official quoted by the state-run Bernama news agency. He continued by saying that because men were the only ones covered by the laws at the time, it was decided to forbid women from acting like men.

He explained to the state news agency that there may not have been as many instances of women acting like men in the past. However, it is becoming increasingly common to see “pengkid” (tomboy or lesbian) cases and the like, thus the state government plans to address this problem.

In the general election held last month, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, or PAS as it is commonly known, gained the most seats of any one party. It has pressed the parliament to give it permission to impose stringent Islamic laws in the areas it controls and has been a supporter of turning Malaysia into an Islamic state.

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