6 M’sians Jailed & Fined After They Skipped Friday Prayers To Have A Picnic At Terengganu Waterfall

I’m sure 99% of have skipped school at one point in our lives. If you’re Christian or Catholic, you’d also most likely have skipped Sunday church at least once.

These actions will usually have consequences.

You’ll fall behind in class and your grades may even slip if you skip school. And I expect your pastor wouldn’t be too happy about you skipping church.

But can you imagine… going to jail for it?

Some people take religion really seriously though.

For instance, Muslims in Malaysia are governed by the Sharia Law and can be given severe punishments by Syarie judges if Islamic laws are broken.

Although this one is a bit of an outlier, but we’ll get to that.

Six Muslim Men Jailed For Skipping Friday Prayers For Picnic

As most Singaporeans should know thanks to Muslim friends, Islamic law dictates for them to attend prayer sessions every Friday noon.

However, six men decided – ain’t nobody got time for that.

They went picnicking with their families at the Sekayu Waterfall, enjoying a bit of recreation instead.

Unfortunately for them, a few religious policewomen from the Terengganu Islamic Religious Affairs Department were surveying the area and caught them in the act.

After the Friday prayers, the male officers swiftly swooped in for the arrest.

After being judged under the Sharia Law, the six of them, which included 3 teenagers, were jailed for one month and given a hefty fine.

One of them, who was a father of two, was fined RM2500 (~SGD818) while the rest were fined RM2400(~SGD785).

Bar Council President: “Harsh and Excessive”

If you’re thinking that going to jail over this is too extreme, you’re not alone.

The Bar Council (Majlis Peguam) President, Abdul Fareed Abdul Gafoor, offered his view on this case.

He felt that justice should be tempered with mercy and that a lighter sentence would serve as “positive admonishment for would-be offenders”.

Abdul Fareed urged for a review of the sentence in order “to reflect the grace and nobility within the precepts of Shariah law.”

He also added that religious law “must not be seen as merciless and harsh but rather just and compassionate with an objective of educating, and not punishing.”

What do you think?

While I’m not a Muslim, I have heard about how strict Sharia law can get.

However, this sentence does seem a bit too heavy.

What’s your view on this?