CSM
Senior Member
Islamic law becomes official in province
JAKARTA, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Aceh has become the first of Indonesia's 33 provinces to officially place Islam's Shariah laws on its books.
The province, which was devastated by tsunami in December 2004, has always been staunchly Islamic compared to the rest of the world's largest Muslim country that has functioned under the 1945 constitution seen as being secular, reports The New York Times.
In Aceh, brown uniformed policemen can now be seen arresting people for drinking or gambling or taking unmarried couples into precincts, says the report. In extreme cases, canings are carried out at mosques and watched by the public.
The Times report noted that what is happening in Aceh may affect the rest of the country as moderate Muslims find themselves increasingly confronted by more orthodox ones.
Governments in some of the other provinces are looking at Aceh for similarly formalizing Shariah in their regions.
There is some opposition to the new laws in Aceh, especially among women, the report said. Some question that such laws have not been applied against corruption, which is a bigger sin in Islam, but supporters say the laws are the wish of the people, the Times said.
Just think; we could have that here. Won't that just be one happy day?
JAKARTA, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Aceh has become the first of Indonesia's 33 provinces to officially place Islam's Shariah laws on its books.
The province, which was devastated by tsunami in December 2004, has always been staunchly Islamic compared to the rest of the world's largest Muslim country that has functioned under the 1945 constitution seen as being secular, reports The New York Times.
In Aceh, brown uniformed policemen can now be seen arresting people for drinking or gambling or taking unmarried couples into precincts, says the report. In extreme cases, canings are carried out at mosques and watched by the public.
The Times report noted that what is happening in Aceh may affect the rest of the country as moderate Muslims find themselves increasingly confronted by more orthodox ones.
Governments in some of the other provinces are looking at Aceh for similarly formalizing Shariah in their regions.
There is some opposition to the new laws in Aceh, especially among women, the report said. Some question that such laws have not been applied against corruption, which is a bigger sin in Islam, but supporters say the laws are the wish of the people, the Times said.
Just think; we could have that here. Won't that just be one happy day?
