Six Malaysian Muslims have reportedly been handed one-month jail terms for skipping prayers in violation of Islamic laws, sparking fresh concern Wednesday about rising religious conservatism in the multi-ethnic country.

Attending Friday prayers is obligatory for Muslim men in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/malaysia-pushes-for-two-term-limit-for-prime-ministers-265975">Malaysia</a>, but it is rare for such harsh punishments to be meted out for missing them.

Aged 17 to 35, the men had been caught having a picnic by a waterfall instead of taking part in prayers on a Friday, the holiest day of the week for Muslims, newspaper Harian Metro reported.

They were also fined between 2,400 and 2,500 ringgit ($575-$600) each after pleading guilty Sunday in a sharia court in the conservative northeastern state of Terengganu.

They are still free on bail while they appeal the sentences. They could had been jailed for a maximum of two years under Muslim-majority Malaysia's sharia laws.

"The alleged failure to attend Friday prayers is a personal matter," Zaid Malek, from rights group Lawyers for Liberty, said in a statement.

"While such acts may be considered improper by some in Muslim society, criminal punishment is excessive and not the way to address them."

He also said the sentences ran counter to pledges from the religious affairs minister to focus on rehabilitation of criminals, rather than punishment.

Critics said the case highlighted that a traditionally tolerant brand of Islam in Malaysia was being eroded, and it came weeks after four men were caned for having gay sex in violation of sharia laws.

Malaysia has a dual-track legal system, with sharia courts handling some cases for Muslim citizens.

Some 60 per cent of Malaysia's 32 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims and the country is also home to substantial ethnic Indian and Chinese communities, who do not usually follow Islam.

Six Malaysian Muslims have reportedly been handed one-month jail terms for skipping prayers in violation of Islamic laws, sparking fresh concern Wednesday about rising religious conservatism in the multi-ethnic country.

Six Malaysian Muslims have reportedly been handed one-month jail terms for skipping prayers in violation of Islamic laws, sparking fresh concern Wednesday about rising religious conservatism in the multi-ethnic country. Attending Friday prayers is obligatory for Muslim men in Malaysia, but it is rare for such harsh punishments to be meted out for missing them. Aged 17 to 35, the men had been caught having a picnic by a waterfall instead of taking part in prayers on a Friday, the holiest day of the week for Muslims, newspaper Harian Metro reported. They were also fined between 2,400 and 2,500 ringgit ($575-$600) each after pleading guilty Sunday in a sharia court in the conservative northeastern state of Terengganu. They are still free on bail while they appeal the sentences. They could had been jailed for a maximum of two years under Muslim-majority Malaysia's sharia laws. "The alleged failure to attend Friday prayers is a personal matter," Zaid Malek, from rights group Lawyers for Liberty, said in a statement. "While such acts may be considered improper by some in Muslim society, criminal punishment is excessive and not the way to address them." He also said the sentences ran counter to pledges from the religious affairs minister to focus on rehabilitation of criminals, rather than punishment. Critics said the case highlighted that a traditionally tolerant brand of Islam in Malaysia was being eroded, and it came weeks after four men were caned for having gay sex in violation of sharia laws. Malaysia has a dual-track legal system, with sharia courts handling some cases for Muslim citizens. Some 60 per cent of Malaysia's 32 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims and the country is also home to substantial ethnic Indian and Chinese communities, who do not usually follow Islam.

Six Malaysian Muslims handed jail terms for skipping Friday prayers

Suspected separatist insurgents stormed a security checkpoint in&nbsp;Thailand's&nbsp;Muslim-majority south and&nbsp;killed at least&nbsp;15&nbsp;people, including a police officer and many village defence volunteers, security officials said on Wednesday.

It was the&nbsp;worst&nbsp;single&nbsp;attack&nbsp;in&nbsp;years&nbsp;in a region where a Muslim separatist insurgency has&nbsp;killed thousands.

The&nbsp;attackers, in the province of Yala, also used explosives and scattered nails on roads to delay pursuers late on Tuesday night.

"This is likely the work of the insurgents," Colonel Pramote Prom-in, a regional security spokesman, told Reuters.

"This is one of the biggest&nbsp;attacks&nbsp;in recent times."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, however, as is common with such&nbsp;attacks.

A decades-old separatist insurgency in predominantly Buddhist&nbsp;Thailand's&nbsp;largely ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat has&nbsp;killed nearly 7,000 people since 2004, says Deep South Watch, a group that monitors the violence.

The population of the provinces, which belonged to an independent Malay Muslim sultanate before Thailand annexed them in 1909, is 80 per cent Muslim, while the rest of the country is overwhelmingly Buddhist.

Some rebel groups in the south have said they are fighting to establish an independent state.

Authorities arrested several suspects from the region in August over a series of small bombs detonated in Bangkok, the capital, although they have not directly blamed any insurgent group.

The main insurgency group, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), denied responsibility for the Bangkok bombings, which wounded four people.

In August, the group told Reuters it had held a secret preliminary meeting with the government, but any step towards a peace process appeared to wither after the deputy prime minister rejected a key demand for the release of prisoners.

Suspected separatist insurgents stormed a security checkpoint in Thailand's Muslim-majority south and killed at least 15 people, including a police officer and many village defence volunteers, security officials said on Wednesday.

Suspected separatist insurgents stormed a security checkpoint in Thailand's Muslim-majority south and killed at least 15 people, including a police officer and many village defence volunteers, security officials said on Wednesday. It was the worst single attack in years in a region where a Muslim separatist insurgency has killed thousands. The attackers, in the province of Yala, also used explosives and scattered nails on roads to delay pursuers late on Tuesday night. "This is likely the work of the insurgents," Colonel Pramote Prom-in, a regional security spokesman, told Reuters. "This is one of the biggest attacks in recent times." There was no immediate claim of responsibility, however, as is common with such attacks. A decades-old separatist insurgency in predominantly Buddhist Thailand's largely ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat has killed nearly 7,000 people since 2004, says Deep South Watch, a group that monitors the violence. The population of the provinces, which belonged to an independent Malay Muslim sultanate before Thailand annexed them in 1909, is 80 per cent Muslim, while the rest of the country is overwhelmingly Buddhist. Some rebel groups in the south have said they are fighting to establish an independent state. Authorities arrested several suspects from the region in August over a series of small bombs detonated in Bangkok, the capital, although they have not directly blamed any insurgent group. The main insurgency group, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), denied responsibility for the Bangkok bombings, which wounded four people. In August, the group told Reuters it had held a secret preliminary meeting with the government, but any step towards a peace process appeared to wither after the deputy prime minister rejected a key demand for the release of prisoners.

Gunmen kill 15 in southern Thailand's worst attack in years

A motorcycle bomb exploded in a market in Thailand&#39;s southern Yala province on Monday, killing three people and wounding 18, a spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) said.

The mostly Muslim provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala in Thailand&#39;s far south are home to a long-running insurgency by ethnic Malay Muslims fighting for autonomy in which more than 6,000 people have been killed since 2004.

&quot;The criminals put a bomb in a motorcycle and placed it next to a market cart. The force of the explosion caused three people to lose their lives,&quot; said ISOC spokesman Pramote Prom-in. The ISOC is a government security force that operates in the region.

No group claimed immediate responsibility for the attack on Monday, which took place at a roadside morning market.

The region has seen hundreds of attacks since 2004, many of them deadly, but there had been fewer violent incidents of late.

Analysts who monitor the conflict say violence from the insurgency fell to a historic low in 2017 despite the fact that talks aimed at bringing peace gained little traction.

Thailand&#39;s military government has tried to revive talks with rebel groups initiated by the previous civilian government, but they have gone almost nowhere.

Resistance to Buddhist rule from Bangkok has existed for decades in the predominantly Muslim southern provinces, waning briefly in the 1990s before resurfacing violently in 2004.

No group claimed immediate responsibility for the attack on Monday, which took place at a roadside morning market

A motorcycle bomb exploded in a market in Thailand's southern Yala province on Monday, killing three people and wounding 18, a spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) said. The mostly Muslim provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala in Thailand's far south are home to a long-running insurgency by ethnic Malay Muslims fighting for autonomy in which more than 6,000 people have been killed since 2004. "The criminals put a bomb in a motorcycle and placed it next to a market cart. The force of the explosion caused three people to lose their lives," said ISOC spokesman Pramote Prom-in. The ISOC is a government security force that operates in the region. No group claimed immediate responsibility for the attack on Monday, which took place at a roadside morning market. The region has seen hundreds of attacks since 2004, many of them deadly, but there had been fewer violent incidents of late. Analysts who monitor the conflict say violence from the insurgency fell to a historic low in 2017 despite the fact that talks aimed at bringing peace gained little traction. Thailand's military government has tried to revive talks with rebel groups initiated by the previous civilian government, but they have gone almost nowhere. Resistance to Buddhist rule from Bangkok has existed for decades in the predominantly Muslim southern provinces, waning briefly in the 1990s before resurfacing violently in 2004.

Bomb in Thailand's south kills three, wounds 18: Security official

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Six Malaysian Muslims handed jail terms for skipping Friday prayers

Gunmen kill 15 in southern Thailand's worst attack in years

Bomb in Thailand's south kills three, wounds 18: Security official