Women's group slams KL Muslim authorities

Women's group slams KL Muslim authorities

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): A Muslim women's rights group has
criticized religious authorities for planning to prosecute a
well-known Malaysian singer in an Islamic court for being in a
restaurant where alcohol was served.

Zainah Anwar, executive director of Sisters in Islam, was
quoted in The Star newspaper Tuesday as calling the arrest of
Azlina Abbas "selective prosecution."

The 29-year-old vocalist was detained when officers from the
Religious Affairs Department of central Selangor state raided a
restaurant June 10.

The incident has been widely criticized for threatening the
livelihood of ordinary people who have jobs in restaurants or
bars. Though Islam is observed by the dominant Malay ethnic group
-- the country is hosting a meeting of 56 Muslim nations this
week -- Malaysia is a multicultural society.