Sex video: For Muslims, false accusers of 'zina' can be whipped 80 times

PAS leaders scoffed at the Inspector General of Police for revealing 'half truths' in that the video tape that allegedly shows Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim having sex with a prostitute may be authentic but that did not mean that the man was Anwar.

"What the investigation shows is that it is an authentic pornography video. It does not prove that Anwar Ibrahim is in that video," Kota Raja MP Siti Mariah Mahmud told Malaysia Chronicle.

"This means that the Datuk T trio are criminals and are now guilty of distributing and displaying pornography. The police should deal with them now. There should be no excuses or delay."

The PAS leader also urged the authorities to raise the matter at the Syariah or Islamic court since the main protagonists involved were all Muslims.

"In Islam, if someone who claim to have witnessed 'zina' (adultery) without at least 4 other witnesses, he or she can be whipped 80 times so it is a heavy offense," Siti said.

80 lashes

If Islamic law were to be applied, the Datuk T trio would be the first to respond and face the prospect of 80 lashes of rotan. The three men are Malacca chief minister Rahim Thamby Chik, businessman Shazryl Eskay and Perkasa treasurer Shuaib Lazim.

They have confessed to 'discovering' the video which is believed to have been shot at a hotel room in Thailand using four cameras.

Instead of handing over the tape to the police, they took it upon themselves to book a conference suite at swanky Carcosa Seri Negara Hotel and invited reporters and senior editors to watch the clip.

They insisted on anonymity but quick checks by Anwar's supporters revealed that Rahim, who is Risda chairman, had booked the room through the government agency, while Shuaib paid the bill. The men were forced to make a public confession.

The trio have claimed that their objective was to expose Anwar's immorality so that Malaysians would not be duped by him.

Meanwhile, they had also invited several PKR MPs to watch the tape. PKR MP for Sungai Petani Johari Abdul was the first to expose them. Johari has also said it was "100 per cent confirmed" the man was not Anwar, adding that he also looked like Shazryl who bears a distinct facial resemblance to the Opposition Leader.

The Sungai Petani MP said Rahim had him asked to leave PKR after showing him the tape, and also offerd him 'financial security' if he did so.

Another PKR leaders is Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who was also shown the tape and asked to defect. He too has said it was not Anwar.

Despite the massive effort by the Umno elite, which also roped the mainstream media into their conspiracy against Anwar, the de-facto Pakatan and PKR chief has been riding on a wave of popular support.

The perceived injustice against him drew a crowd of 30,000 to the Shah Alam stadium last week to pray for him and condemn Najib for slandering him.

- Malaysia Chronicle