Religious authorities in Malaysia have stepped up moral policing efforts during the holy month of Ramadan in what critics warn has been part of a wider recent shift toward a more conservative form of Islam in the multi-racial and culturally diverse nation. <\/p>\n
Ramadan, regarded as the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, is celebrated by Muslims around the world who abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual acts during daylight hours and break their fast after sundown. <\/p>\n
It is a month of deep spiritual reflection and celebration with friends and family \u2013 but can also be far from easy, as anyone who has tried fasting can attest. <\/p>\n
In many parts of Malaysia, Muslims caught eating or drinking during daytime hours can find themselves on the wrong side of the law. <\/p>\n
Around 20.6 million of Malaysia\u2019s 34 million-strong population are Muslims, but the country is also home to sizeable ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities that include Buddhists, Christians and Hindus, as well as indigenous communities. <\/p>\n
Under the country\u2019s unusual dual track legal system, which is also federal and varies from state to state, Muslims are subject to sharia law on a host of social issues including marriage, divorce and fasting. <\/p>\n
Religious police tend to ramp up their presence during Ramadan, activists note, which ends later this week, patrolling the streets more visibly and staking out at popular eateries \u2013 sometimes in disguise \u2013 to catch those breaching the rules. <\/p>\n
Those caught eating or drinking during daytime hours face fines of up to 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit (about $200) and prison terms of up to a year. Non-Muslims caught selling food, drinks or tobacco to Muslims during fasting hours are also subject to penalties. <\/p>\n
Arrest figures have not yet been released for this year but in 2023, religious officials in the state of Malacca, a major tourist destination, recorded nearly 100 arrests of Muslims caught eating in public during the fasting month, an increase from 41 arrests the previous year, they said. <\/p>\n
This year, more than 10 \u201chotspots\u201d were identified throughout the state, said the chairman of its Islamic Religious Department, JAIM. <\/p>\n
Rahmad Mariman announced that \u201cfrequent monitoring and inspections\u201d were being carried out at popular bars, restaurants, malls and parks. \u201cThrough these <\/strong>operations, JAIM enforcement officers will detain Muslims found eating in public and will not hesitate to take action against traders involved in selling food to them,\u201d Mariman said in a statement. <\/p>\n Up north in the state of Perak, JAIM\u2019s counterpart, the Gerik Islamic Religious Department (JAIPK), took to TikTok to share videos of inspections and fasting raids religious officers had conducted throughout March. <\/p>\n In one video, set against a spaghetti western soundtrack, JAIPK officers wearing their distinctive black and white uniforms and reflective vests were seen arriving at an open-air eatery in the town of Gerik during the day to question restaurant staff and catch Muslims buying food. <\/p>\n One man wearing a blue motorcycle helmet, whose face is pixelated in the video, was seen fleeing the restaurant with a plastic bag of food. <\/p>\n \u201cThis was not a reenactment by professionals. It is an actual video of what took place during our recent operations,\u201d JAIPK wrote in a caption accompanying its TikTok video, which went viral \u2013 racking up more than 1.7 million views and continuing to draw thousands of comments since it was uploaded on March 15. <\/p>\n