Media blackout on high-profile khalwat case raises queries
The Syariah High Court's unprecedented decision to ban the media from reporting a khalwat (close proximity) case involving the wife of former deputy prime minister Ghafar Baba has elicited mixed reactions.
Non-governmental organisation Sisters-in-Islam (SIS) said the media should be "more careful" in reporting khalwat cases since there is always the possibility of "overzealous" enforcement.
"We are concerned over the possibility of overzealous enforcement of the law. These situations could be aggravated by wide coverage (in the press).
"We are concerned with all cases and not only this case," said SIS research manager Nik Noriani Nik Badli Shah when contacted today.
However, she said details of this particular case should also be made clear since it differed from others in that it involved more than one couple.
"The usual understanding of the definition of khalwat is that it involves one man and one woman. In this case, they are students and there are four of them.
"What is the definition of khalwat then? We are curious why they were arrested," she said.
On Monday, syariah judge Abu Bakar Ahmad allowed an application to stop the media from reporting details of the charges and proceedings of the case concerning D Heryati Abdul Rahim, 41, and three Bosnian students from the International Islamic University students in Kuala Lumpur on the grounds that it was a "high-profile case involving a personality".
The defendants had pleaded guilty during the hearing and were released with a "stern warning" from the court. The three Bosnian students are Admir Melinovic, 23, Izudin Mulalic, 27, and Mirza Trako, 25.
Non-governmental organisation Sisters-in-Islam (SIS) said the media should be "more careful" in reporting khalwat cases since there is always the possibility of "overzealous" enforcement.
"We are concerned over the possibility of overzealous enforcement of the law. These situations could be aggravated by wide coverage (in the press).
"We are concerned with all cases and not only this case," said SIS research manager Nik Noriani Nik Badli Shah when contacted today.
However, she said details of this particular case should also be made clear since it differed from others in that it involved more than one couple.
"The usual understanding of the definition of khalwat is that it involves one man and one woman. In this case, they are students and there are four of them.
"What is the definition of khalwat then? We are curious why they were arrested," she said.
On Monday, syariah judge Abu Bakar Ahmad allowed an application to stop the media from reporting details of the charges and proceedings of the case concerning D Heryati Abdul Rahim, 41, and three Bosnian students from the International Islamic University students in Kuala Lumpur on the grounds that it was a "high-profile case involving a personality".
The defendants had pleaded guilty during the hearing and were released with a "stern warning" from the court. The three Bosnian students are Admir Melinovic, 23, Izudin Mulalic, 27, and Mirza Trako, 25.
Ban incomprehensible
Meanwhile, Keadilan said the media blackout was "unusual" and "suspicious" because of its inconsistency with other similar cases.
Party secretary-general Sahri Bahri said the ban was incomprehensible as details of the arrest had already been published in all major dailies.
"What is it that they want to hide? It is as though the matter can still be kept secret when it is already in the public domain and is widely known.
"Furthermore, the court administration of this case is also inconsistent with other syariah cases which are usually high-profile and receive widespread coverage," he said in a statement yesterday.
The Keadilan leader also questioned why the four were released with a mere warning despite pleading guilty to the charge.
"The court's decision is unusual and unprecedented. Is this because it involves personalities who are within the circle of the ruling party?
"This raises a lot of questions and doubts over the integrity and justice of the syariah court," he stressed.
Public education
According to the Malaysian Association of Muslim Scholars (PUM), the necessity of the ban depended on the purpose behind publication of the case details.
"Reports on khalwat cases become inappropriate when they are done to degrade one's character. At the end of the day, it depends on the policy of the media owners whether they want to teach society a lesson or so that their papers can sell quickly with these types of stories," its president Abdul Ghani Shamsudin was quoted as saying in Berita Harian.
He added that reporting should be done in a "proper" manner and with a clear view in mind that they are for the education of society so that (other Muslims) realise the implications of their actions.
