Kelantan to tighten Syariah law against LGBT, immoral acts
17 Jul 2025 02:15pm
The Kelantan government remains committed to strengthening and amending the Syariah Criminal Code (I) Enactment 2019 (EKJS) to enhance its effectiveness in curbing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) practices and immoral activities. Photo for illustrative purposes only - Canva
KOTA BHARU - The Kelantan government remains committed to strengthening and amending the Syariah Criminal Code (I) Enactment 2019 (EKJS) to enhance its effectiveness in curbing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) practices and immoral activities.
Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said that despite past legal challenges, the state government is determined to enhance the law and its enforcement.
"EKJS 2019 was introduced to address syariah offences including sodomy, musahaqah (same-sex relations between women) and other immoral acts that defile the sanctity of religious life.
"The state does not recognise deviant cultures that go against Islamic teachings. LGBT practices are a clear transgression of human nature, which undermines morals and social harmony,' he said in a statement published on his official Facebook page today. Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said that despite past legal challenges, the state government is determined to enhance the law and its enforcement. Photo: Facebook/Mohamed Fadzli Hassan
To boost prevention and enforcement, the state has formed a special committee involving the police, the Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department, the Kelantan Health Department, the Kelantan Islamic Foundation, the Social Welfare Department and the National Anti-Drugs Agency.
The committee is responsible for coordinating comprehensive and inter-agency efforts to address moral decay and deviant behaviours that are increasingly visible in society, he added.
Fadzli said the state government has implemented the Rabbani Community Culture Programme to enhance Islamic understanding, engage with at-risk communities and build societal resilience against the spread of social ills.
He also called on the federal government, particularly the Communications Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, to restrict access to online platforms that promote immoral content.
"The digital space must not be left unregulated and allowed to corrupt the minds and morals of society, especially the younger generation,' he said.
Earlier today, Kelantan police confirmed a raid on an LGBT-related gathering involving over 20 local men at a bungalow on Jalan Kemumin here in mid-June.
During the operation, authorities found hundreds of condoms and several boxes of HIV medication in a specially designated room believed to be used by the organisers for storage. - BERNAMA
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