New Strait Times-Apr 18
21 women in Kelantan were issued notices to attend counselling for being “indecently dressed” in an operation codenamed ‘Ops Sopan’ on Sunday, 15 April
Meanwhile, four other women were given court summonses for the same offence, reported New Straits Times.
Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB), Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JAHEAIK), and National Anti-drug Agency carried out the operation jointly.
‘Ops Sopan’ involved 90 officers stationed at hypermarkets, hotels and resort areas looking out for women not covering their aurat, according to an MPKB spokesman.
As part of the operation, over 1,000 flyers were distributed in an effort to encourage the public to dress according to syariah law.
AEON, KB Mall, Parkson, Giant, Tesco, Pantai Cahaya Bulan were some of the locations where the operation was conducted.
Today, 18 April, Sisters In Islam took to their Twitter account to express their disappointment in the focus directed towards women’s attire by these organisations, pointing out that men are not being issued notices for “not guarding their modesty”. Sisters In Islam also tweeted to say that, “Operations such as these completely undermines the accolades that women have worked so hard to earn and reduces their worth to merely their clothing.”
Section 5 of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment Code 1985 provides that women who are dressed in tight clothing in public places are, upon conviction, punishable for a fine of up to RM1,000, a jail sentence of up to six months, or both. The section also states that any person who wilfully acts or behaves “in an indecent manner which is contrary to Hukum Syarak” shall be guilty of an offence.
Just last week, MPKB made headlines when a post showing them conducting a similar operation went viral.
