THOSE who splash acid on others should be dealt with more seriously. This is in light of the increase in such attacks.

I read a report recently about an eye for an eye punishment in Teheran. An Iranian man had hurled acid on the face of his female coursemate in 2009 after she repeatedly spurned his offer of marriage.

The disfigured woman was shown with a photograph of herself before she was blinded by the acid. She was an exquisite beauty but was now blind in one eye and a pale comparison of her old self. By a cruel twist of fate, the life of this young woman had been ruined.

In accordance with the law of the land, the court ordered the blinding of the Iranian man as an eye for an eye punishment (retribution in kind). The woman who suffered so much pain, disfigurement and humiliation all these years had come forward to carry out the blinding of the man herself.

However, the punishment has been postponed and the woman is waiting for the punishment to be carried out.

In the same manner, in view of social diseases and crime, we may need to adopt syariah to tackle crime and sexual offences as an alternative to civil laws.

This is in view of the surge in rapes, sexual crimes, child abuse, snatch thefts and robberies. Civil laws have not been able to curb these crimes.

The blatant disregard for law and order is due to the leniency of civil laws. Most people have become bold to challenge and go against the norms of civil society. Lengthy jail sentences and caning do not act as a deterrent.

A letter to the editor, some time back, advocated that those caught for throwing acid on their victims should have acid thrown on them. The rationale is that they need to feel the pain and suffer the disfigurement that their victims are going through.

As ludicrous as it may sound, such punishment could deter such acts.

There is a serial splasher in Bangsar who has struck 23 times, maimed more than 30 victims and is still on the loose. The splasher should be given a taste of his own medicine when he is nabbed.

Snatch thieves and gangsters caught using parang and other weapons to inflict injury should have their hands and limbs chopped off. Such punishments have been known to work in some countries.

As for serial rapists, castration may seem an extreme and heartless punishment but think of the victims who had endured a painful and traumatic ordeal.

Physical fear (fear of losing body parts), psychological fear and spiritual fear should be used to tackle social diseases and criminal activities.