KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 — Seven men who wore shorts exposing their thighs were hauled up by the Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs Department (Jaheik) for not covering their "aurat” during a raid on a shop in Tanah Merah suspected of selling shisha last Friday.

Jaheik enforcement division deputy director Mohd Fadzuli Mohd Zain said the men whose ages were reported to range from their teens to their 20s were let off with warnings and ordered to attend a counselling session, news portal Malaysiakini reported last night.

"As a result of the operation, seven men who were wearing shorts and exposing their aurat were given warning notices under Section 23 and could be punished according to the Syariah Criminal Code (I) Enactment 2019, which carries a fine of up to RM1,000 or six months' imprisonment,” Mohd Fadzuli was quoted as saying.

Covering the "aurat” is part of the Islamic modesty concept. For men, the areas of the body deemed a must to be covered are from the navel to the knees while women are compelled to cover every part of their bodies except for their hands and face.

The raid was jointly conducted by Jahiek, the Tanah Merah District Council, the Tanah Merah District Health Office, and the National Anti-Drug Agency, according to the news portal.

The operation also reportedly saw six shisha apparatus seized, as well as 16 compounds issued under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 and the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009, amounting to RM3,400.