Malaysian ruler commutes woman's caning sentence

A Muslim woman sentenced to be caned for drinking beer has had her punishment commuted in a surprising turnaround for a high-profile case that raised questions about Malaysia's Islamic laws.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a mother of two, received a letter from the Pahang state Islamic department informing her that the state's sultan had decided to spare her the caning, her lawyer Adham Jamalullail said today.

The order is likely to cool down a fiery debate over whether Islamic laws should intrude into people's private lives in the Muslim-majority country.

Many people had condemned the punishment, saying it showed conservative Islamists were gaining influence over the justice system.

Mr Adham said that "as a substitution for the caning, the sultan has ordered Ms Kartika to perform community service for three weeks".

Sultan Ahmad Shah is the guardian of Islam in the state and its titular head. Most of Malaysia's 13 states are ruled by sultans who usually play a ceremonial role in governance but have the power to rule in Islamic matters.

Ms Kartika's father Shukarnor Abdul Muttalib said she has been told to report to the Islamic department early tomorrow.

"We will abide by the order ... Kartika will go on with her life," he said.

Ms Kartika, a former model and nurse, was sentenced in July last year to six strokes of the cane and a fine of 5,000 ringgit (£920) for drinking beer in December 2007 at a beach resort, against Islamic laws. Islam prohibits Muslims from drinking alcohol.

Officials had said the caning would be very different to the corporal punishment administered on male criminals under secular civil laws.

Drug offenders, kidnappers and others are caned with a thick rattan stick on bare buttocks that break the skin and leave lifelong scars.

Ms Kartika's punishment under Islamic laws would have been delivered with a thin cane on the back with her clothes on.