Muslim model to be flogged in Malaysia for drinking beer

Kartika Sari Sewi Shu-karno, 32, a part-time model pleaded guilty of having a beer in a nightclub last year, was ordered by the Shariah High Court yesterday to receive six strokes of the cane and pay USD 1,400 as fine, according to New Straits Times.
"The court reached the judgment after the accused pleaded guilty. We feel the sentence is fair after going through the prosecution's argument and since the cane is provided for in the law", said Judge Datuk Abdul Rahman Yunus.
He added the accused could face a three-year jail term if she failed to pay the fine while the canning would be carried out by federal prison authorities.
"The cane is aimed at making the accused repent and serves as a lesson to Muslims," said Yunus according to the newspaper.
Her lawyer Mohd Zuki Che Muhamad Ghani said they would file an appeal against the sentence.
This is the second time the Shariah Court here has imposed whipping on a female. The first was on a waitress and a man who were caught together with Kartika during a raid by the religious police in a hotel in Cherating.
Consumption of alchohol is a religious offense for Muslims in Malaysia who make up two-thirds of the population.