Fifty-two unmarried Muslim couples face charges of sexual misconduct and possible jail terms after being caught alone in hotel rooms by Malaysia’s Islamic morality police during a New Year’s Day crackdown. The detained, mostly students and young factory workers, are expected to be charged with khalwat, or “close proximity,” which under Malaysia’s Islamic Shari’ah law is described as couples not married to each other being alone together in a private place. In Selangor, khalwat carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine.

The Shari’ah laws apply only to Malaysia’s Muslims, who make up nearly two-thirds of the population, and not to the Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities.