Malaysia is proposing changes to its Sharia law to punish people "promoting the LGBT lifestyle" on social media because it is an insult to Islam.
While same-sex acts are illegal under Islamic law in Malaysia, convictions for offenders are rare. The proposed amendments will impose stricter rules and punishments for such acts, including those on social media.
The proposal was made after officials said there had been more social media posts promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activities in celebration of Pride Month. Deputy Minister in charge of religious affairs, Ahmad Marzuk Shaary, said the posts were an insult to Islam.
"We have found that certain parties uploaded statuses and graphics that insulted Islam on social media in their efforts to promote the LGBT lifestyle," Ahmad said.
Malaysia is home to more than 32 million people, most of whom are Muslim. Ethnic Malay Muslims make up roughly 60% of the population. Malaysia has a dual-track legal system where Islamic criminal and family laws are implemented alongside civil law.
According to Ahmad, the proposed amendments will allow authorities to take immediate action against all Muslims who "insult the religion of Islam" by making sacrilegious posts on "network facilities, network services or application services."
Ahmad said his agency would identify constraints faced by authorities in taking action against LGBT offenders. He said they planned to develop guidelines for handling complaints.
The task force includes representatives from Malaysia's Islamic Development Department, the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, the Attorney-General's Office and the police.
Malaysia has faced international criticism for its growing intolerance toward the LGBT community. In 2019, the government made several arrests after LGBT groups attended a march for International Women's Day. Last year, several people were sentenced to jail for engaging in gay sex.
