Malaysia’s Islamic laws banning gay sex to be challenged in court for first time
- Critics say there is a worsening climate for the gay community in Muslim-majority Malaysia, with several states enacting their own Islamic laws banning gay sex
- Campaigners say a victory in the challenge at Malaysia’s top court could help halt the trend of local sharia authorities introducing harsh legislation targeting gay people
He was charged last year for allegedly attempting to have “intercourse against the order of nature”, and several others in the same case have already pleaded guilty and were caned as a punishment.
Critics say there is a worsening climate for the gay community in Muslim-majority Malaysia, with several states enacting their own Islamic laws banning gay sex.
But campaigners say a victory in the challenge at Malaysia’s top court could help halt the trend of local sharia authorities introducing harsh legislation targeting gay people.
“The case could discourage state overreach in terms of lawmaking,” said Thilaga Sulathireh, from campaign group LGBTIQ+ Network.
The immediate impact of a victory would likely be to halt ongoing cases under the Islamic law only in Selangor state, where the man was charged, but campaigners may then aim to bring cases against other states.
The man, who has not been named, is challenging the accusations levelled against him in an Islamic court at Malaysia’s Federal Court on the grounds they breach the constitution, his lawyer Surendra Ananth said. He said it was the first such challenge in Malaysia.