Indonesia returns to the Stone Age as Aceh Prepares To See Stonings, Lashings as Law
Banda Aceh
Married Muslims in staunchly Islamic Aceh could be publicly stoned for committing adultery under a new piece of legislation that the autonomous province’s legislature is scheduled to pass on Monday. With partial Shariah law already in place under the broad autonomy accorded to end almost three decades of violent separatist conflict, Aceh looks set to take a giant and controversial step with the law, which also mandates that single Muslims caught having premarital sex will get 100 lashes with a whip.
The drastic punishments are part of a regional regulations bill on local customs (qanun) regarding Islamic crimes (jinayat) that the Aceh Provincial Legislature (DPRA) will endorse.
My understanding is that Aceh has always been the most "Islamic" part of Indonesia. I have also heard that there is a significant ethnic Arab community in Aceh.
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised by this trend in Aceh.