The Islamist government in Terengganu in eastern Malaysia is tightening its grip on the population. Anyone who skips Friday prayers can now face severe penalties.
Under the current Sharia law, first-time offenders can be punished with up to two years in prison or fines of nearly 7,000 kronor - or both.
According to previous legislation, prayer skippers in the state could only be punished with imprisonment after three repeated "crimes", and then "only" with six months behind bars.
Critics describe the new law as shocking.
Laws like this give Islam a bad reputation, says Phil Robertson, head of the organization Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates (AHRLA), to The Guardian and urges Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to think twice.
Freedom of religion and belief also means the freedom not to believe or participate, so the authorities in Terengganu are committing serious human rights abuses with this draconian law, continues Robertson.
Malaysia has a two-track legal system, where Sharia courts have authority over personal and family matters for the country's large Muslim population.
