The Political Costs of Caning Kartika

When the decision was made to cane Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno – a Malay-Muslim woman – for drinking beer in public, Malaysia’s religious authorities did not foresee the ramifications globally or domestically. The former model’s punishment for an act considered common in many parts of the world could tarnish Malaysia’s image as a moderate Muslim state. On the other hand, the government does not want to alienate conservative domestic Muslims who support the religious laws that set Kartika’s sentence. But appeasing such a conservative base could be construed as the Talibanization of Malaysia, a phenomenon few governments would want to be associated with.. For now, with the caning postponed, the whole world and Malaysia wait to see if the government can navigate between global censure and domestic virtue. – YaleGlobal