State-Sponsored, Sharia Supported Homophobia: 5 Malaysian Men Caned For Gay Sex Under Islamic law 

Four Malaysian men have been caned for having gay sex in violation of Islamic laws, The Strait Times reported.

An Islamic court in Selangor sentenced four of the men to six months in jail and six strokes of the cane as well as fines of RM4,800. Another man was sentenced to seven months' jail, six strokes of the cane and a RM4,900 fine.

The men, aged 26 to 37, received six strokes of the cane each in a prison outside Kuala Lumpur on Nov 19 for attempting "intercourse against the order of nature", an offence under Shariah law.

According to Amnesty International, religious authorities found out about the private event by monitoring messages between the men, and then sent a raiding party of 50 officers to detain them.

A fifth man convicted with the others was not caned as he is appealing against the punishment, while a further six men arrested in the apartment raid are still facing charges, the rights group added.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad last year said that Malaysia could not accept LGBT rights such as same-sex marriage, dismissing them as “western” values.

The sentence for the crime of being gay in some countries is rooted in the interpretation of Sharia law, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association’s (ILGA) report on state-sponsored homophobia.

The death penalty for gay acts is said to be derived from Quran, Islam’s holy book, and the Hadith, or the accounts of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. The accounts differ on the method of killing, and other accounts suggest lesser penalties for homosexual acts, depending on the circumstances.

In 13 countries, mostly Islamic, being gay is legally punishable by death.

In March 2019, Islamic kingdom of Brunei implemented stoning to death under its new anti-LGBT laws