A state in Malaysia has passed new laws that will punish Muslim women for having a child outside marriage and for dressing like men. The laws have been passed in Malaysia’s Terengganu state.


According to Satiful Bahari Mamat, a state religious official, the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) government has mandated that women who wear men’s clothing or have children while not married to their partners will be subject to fines upto roughly $1,130, three years in prison, six lashes, or any combination of the three.


He further added that the new laws are meant to better protect “the well-being of Muslims,” adding that they were enacted because previous laws only pertained to men acting like women.

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“Because in the past, there might not have been much of this issue (women acting like men),” he added. “But we see now that ‘pengkid’ (tomboy or lesbian) cases and the like are becoming more widespread, so the state government intends to curb this issue.”