Indonesian Muslim Woman Publicly Caned for 'Close Proximity' With Man

It's unclear what exactly she was doing, but when neighbors found 34-year-old Irdayanti Mukhtar in a bedroom with a man who was not her husband, her case was brought before the local shariah court in Jantho, Indonesia. Her crime? Being in "close proximity" with another man. Her punishment? Nine public lashes with a cane.

According to London's Daily Mail, Mukhtar's case isn't as cut-and-dry as it may first seem. She is reportedly in the process of divorcing her husband. And while she was found with another man, it's unclear exactly what they were doing. Hence, the charge of being in "close proximity."

Still, despite some shaky details, Mukhtar's punishment was carried out in front of a cheering crowd. The Mail explains:

The harsh punishment was meted out in front of a crowd of 200 people outside the Al Munawwarah Mosque in Jantho, Indonesia.

The jeering crowd recorded the brutal beating on their mobile phones and camcorders and shouted for more beatings in the strict Muslim city.

Mukhtar had been sentenced to the punishment the previous day by a Sharia court where prosecutors said that she was guilty of being in 'close proximity' to another man.

Under Sharia law the offence carries a maximum beating of nine strokes with a cane or a minimum of three.

Neighbours had seen Mukhtar with the man and had barged in on her while the couple were in her bedroom, although it is unclear what they were actually doing.

The mob then dragged them to the local police station to be charged. [...]

Shortly after the caning on Friday Mukhtar passed out and had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

She was one of four people, including the man she was caught with, to be caned for extramarital affairs

But Mukhtar's punishment may not have been limited to her public humiliation. According to some reports, she was molested by the crowd while the marched her to the police station. Police are investigating.

Caning is not uncommon in countries where shariah is common (such as Indonesia). A video posted on YouTube last fall purportedly shows a man and woman also being publicly caned. A news story attached to that video's description says the two were found guilty of adultery:

[Content WARNING: contains graphic images]