A study of islamic law offences (takzir) committed by the youth in the state of Terengganu, Malaysia

• Main Authors: Noor ‘Ashikin, Hamid, Abdul Majid Tahir, Mohamed, Nur Amani, Pauzai, Shariffah Nuridah Aishah, Syed Nong Mohamad, Nor Aida, Ab. Kadir
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc; K Law (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/611/1/FH03-FLAIR-16-04831.pdf; http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/611/
• Institution: Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin

The commission of syariah offences by teenagers has become increasingly worrisome nowadays in Malaysia particularly in the state of Terengganu. News on the arrest of these teenagers by the authorities frequently appears in the daily newspapers and reports. If such offences are not controlled or effectively overcome, the result will be moral collapse amongst the future generations. The objective of the article is to investigate the types of offences, age, gender and types of Islamic law (takzir) punishments imposed upon the young offenders as well as the adequacy of law and enforcement in the prevention of such offences in the state of Terengganu. The study adopts qualitative methodology where data are collected through library research and semi-structured interviews with key informants. During the process, the data of takzir offences had been analysed from case law decided by the Terengganu syariah courts from year 2008 to 2013. The study finds that most of the reported Islamic law (takzir) offences committed by the youths relate to sexual offences. The article concludes by forwarding suggestions to improve the law and administration process in dealing with these offences.