If the law was ever implemented in Korea the entire country would be black and blue:

The first woman in Muslim-majority Malaysia to face caning for drinking beer was reprieved Monday because of the holy month of Ramadan. Her family said she would rather get the thrashing with a rattan cane now and put the ordeal behind her.

Islamic officials had taken Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a 32-year-old mother of two, into custody and were driving her to a women’s prison for the caning when they abruptly turned around and sent her back to her family home in northern Malaysia.

“She feels like a football being kicked around,” Kartika’s father, Shukarno Abdul Muttalib, told The Associated Press. “She’s so exhausted and unhappy with the delay. She would prefer to just receive the six strokes and have everything finished.”

Amnesty International, Malaysian lawyers and some politicians have condemned the sentence, while other critics have warned it would tarnish Malaysia’s image as a moderate country. Islamic officials have defended it as necessary to uphold Islamic values — underscoring tensions between religious conservatives and more liberal and secular elements in society.

Beer, wine and liquor is widely available at shops, bars and restaurants in Malaysia, unlike in more austere Islamic nations such as Iran and Pakistan. Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities in Malaysia are free to consume alcohol but its Shariah law forbids Muslims — who make up 60 percent of the 27 million population — from drinking, although a minority of Muslims still indulge despite the religious stricture.  [Associated Press]

Malaysia is actually a country I have spent some time in and is actually quite an interesting place.  The majority of the nation are ethnic Muslim Malays with the rest of the population being ethnic Chinese, Indians, or aboriginals.  The Muslims do fall under Shariah law and there are even signs posted reminding people of this.  However, it is not widely enforced and where it is enforced is out in rural areas away from the major cities.

The Shariah law is enforced by religious morality police who many people in Malaysia just blow off.  For example a good friend of mine who is a lieutenant colonel in the Malaysian Army, his wife usually doesn’t wear a hair covering.  I asked her if the morality police would ever hassle her and she said only one time did one them bother her and that once he found out her husband was a lieutenant colonel he quickly went away.  So these guys actually have little authority other than in areas that are religiously conservative.  Personally, I would be surprised if this woman gets caned.

Despite the ridiculousness of being caned for drinking a beer, here is a thought experiment for everyone, who thinks caning would be a good thing to add to the enforcement of minor laws?  I think back to when the American teenager was caned for theft and vandalism in Singapore and I didn’t have a problem with it.  Getting caned seems to be more of a deterrent for minor crimes than putting someone on probation.  Any thoughts?