Thread: Police raid hotels, detain unmarried couples sharing a room

Jan 05, 2010

Malaysia's Islamic morality police raid hotels, detain unmarried couples sharing a room

Malaysia's Islamic morality police raided hotels on New Year's Day and detained 52 unmarried Muslim couples suspected of having sex, the BBC reports. The couples could face charges of sexual misconduct, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and fines, the story says.

"A spokesman for the Selangor State Islamic Department says they chose New Year's Day because many people are known to commit this offence when celebrating a major holiday," the story says.

Before dawn, scores of officers raided mainly budget hotels in the western state of Selangor, according to a report by the Associated Press. The region is not known as a tourist destination. Mainly students and young factory workers were detained, the BBC report says.

Under Malaysia's Islamic Sharia Law, unmarried couples should not be in a secluded area or confined space, which could give rise to suspicion that they were engaged in immoral acts, according to the BBC.

The Muslim couples are expected to be charged with the offence of "close proximity," or Khalwat, the story says. Sharia laws in Malaysia apply only to Muslims, who make up over half the population, according to the BBC.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... -couples/1

Hmmmmm........I wonder, would they also be able to carry out the same type of raids and arrests on foreign nationals of the muslim faith?

What about the possibility of them arresting non-muslim couples for the same conduct....whether they were from Malaysia or another country?