A state government will act against women Muslim doctors who use pencils or pens instead of their hands to examine patients, a newspaper reported Thursday.
The Star newspaper reported that authorities have received complaints against at least two doctors who are members of the conservative Islamic sect Al Arqam, which was banned Friday.Many Muslims believe it is sinful for women to touch men other than their husbands. Women doctors have been reported using long objects to examine wounds or other body parts.
Chief Minister Abdul Hamid Pawanteh of the northwestern state of Perlis did not say what action would be taken against the doctors, the Star reported from the state capital of Kangar, 270 miles northwest of Kuala Lumpur.
Although Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, Muslims, who comprise half of its 18.8 million people, don't follow religious rules rigidly.
The Federal Court on Friday upheld a 9-year-old government ban on Muslim women wearing a veil to work, which officials say violates security. A Muslim woman had appealed the law after being fired for wearing a veil.
The government accuses Al Arqam, which has about 100,000 members, of deviating from mainstream Islam and calls the sect's teachings a threat to national security, a charge the group denies.