In a dramatic change, Terengganu a conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) state has started enforcing strictly a law mandating Muslim men to hold Friday congregational prayers.
Under the Shariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) Enactment, delinquents who miss even one Friday prayer without a good reason may be jailed for up to two years, fined RM3,000 (approximately £525), or both. Pastime penalty only kicked in after three consecutive sessions of missing it.
Terengganu state executive council member Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi said enforcement was a last resort meant to maintain religious duty and "educate" those who were shirking duty. The state will enhance the rule with mosque flags, public complaints, and religious patrols.
This enforcement is part of a larger trend within PAS to spread Islamic rule throughout its states.
The party, now ruling four states, has long sought to introduce tougher religious punishments such as hudud laws that come with corporal punishments throughout Malaysia.
Critics pilloried the policy as an infringement of personal freedoms. Azira Aziz, a lawyer, posted on X: "No one argues that Friday prayers are mandatory, I just believe it's not needed to criminalize piety," highlighting the belief that education, rather than punishment, is what should promote compliance.
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The personal affairs are subject to Shariah law but overlap and at times conflict with the civil legal system.
Legally Muslim ethnic Malays make up about two-thirds of Malaysia's population, providing these laws with wide applicability. Last year, the country's highest court nullified a number of shariah laws at the state level, citing inconsistency with federal control.
PAS reacted with protests to safeguard Islamic courts. This enforcement in Terengganu further highlights the struggle between religious rule and civil freedom.
