Takzir Offences and Youth Offenders : A Critical Appraisal of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) (Terengganu) Enactment 2001

Committing 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 dailies and reports. If such offences are not controlled or effectively overcome, it will result in moral collapse among the future generations. Therefore, this paper examines the age and gender of the youth offenders and types of offence and Islamic law (takzir) punishments imposed on them. It also investigates the adequacy of law and enforcement in the prevention of such offences in Terengganu. The study adopts qualitative methodology where data are collected through library research and semi-structured interviews with key informants. Data of takzir offences in the form of case law decided by the Terengganu Syariah Courts between 2008 and 2013 were analysed. The study found that nearly half of the youth offenders were aged 17 and were girls and most of the offences committed were sexual in nature. This paper concludes by providing suggestions on improving the law and administration process in dealing with these offences.