KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia may organize an international conference on the issue of caning and whether it is an appropriate punishment for women under Islamic law.
Women's Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said in a statement seen Tuesday that she would seek Cabinet approval to hold such a conference.
Malaysia announced last week that prison authorities had caned three unmarried Muslim women on Feb. 9 after a Shariah, or Islamic, court in Kuala Lumpur found them guilty of having "sex out of wedlock."
Shahrizat said she plans to invite ministers from other Muslim-majority countries, academics and religious experts to exchange "ideas and experiences with regards to the implementation of Shariah law."
