Issues: ‘Sharia police: Who are they?’

(News Terupdate) - Hundreds of citizens from all over Banda Aceh thronged to Ule Lheue Beach to relax and enjoy the weekend atmosphere under the light of the full moon that evening. Parents and children were sitting and savoring roast corn sold on the sidewalks leading to the port.

The port area of Ule Lheue is a favorite place for Banda Aceh residents to relish the beauty of the beach, which is not far from the city hub and also offers a gorgeous display of urban lights reflecting off the water.
But the crowds became agitated when a group of teenagers hanging around in pairs was suddenly caught by surprise by a raid launched by personnel of Wilayatul Hisbah (WH) or the sharia police, which enforce Islamic rules of conduct.

Traveling in two open pickup trucks, the sharia police officers rushed to Ule Lheue port, seizing several young couples sitting near the roast corn stall. They could do nothing when WH personnel told them to stand in line and recorded their personal data.

“They shouldn’t have been sitting in pairs in the dark,” Efendi, the WH commander in Banda Aceh, said.

(By Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh)



Your comments:

In fact, their purpose in forming this kind of police is good. But remember, Indonesia is diverse country.

Each group of people has their own beliefs. If someone was doing wrong, we have to remind them and guide them to the right way.

Anna Williams
Jakarta


Allah never said his law should become positive law, only law for crimes such as stealing, adultery, rebellion, killing and, last but not least, those who do not pay zakat.

Alatif
The United States


Sharia law is a form of religious dogma and tyranny. It is homophobic, sexist and anti-democratic. Sharia law does not develop, it is fixed and immutable, but its interpretation is unpredictable, unregulated and subject to the whims and prejudices of individual practitioners.

Accommodating sharia justice is not about choice or tolerance in a pluralistic society; it is not about Muslim women’s autonomy, its demands emerge from fundamentalist politics, however they are dressed up.

Opposing sharia law is a crucial step in defending universal equal rights and secularism, and showing real solidarity with people living under and resisting sharia.

People living under sharia law are the first victims and, at the same time, the first line of resistance against it and must be defended, not abandoned.

It does appear that the people of Aceh have been abandoned by their lawful government. The principle of one law for all, with everyone equal before the law, is a vital one for a genuine democracy.

Peter Ramsey
Jakarta


Once you let religious entities have power over the people, you get nothing but repression.

The government should get out of religion completely.

Exbrit
Probolinggo, East Java


Well, well. Why I am not surprised to see so many comments when the subject of Islam raises its head.
And why, when the subject matter was about other faiths, not too many comments or input?

One of the reasons why Aceh wants to be independent is because the majority of Acehnese wanted to implement sharia law rather than so-called man-created law? Who are we to judge and criticize others when we do not have a full knowledge of the law itself?

Look around you, how many children were born without fathers and at how fast HIV is spreading around the world. The Acehnese would like to put a brake on these immoral events (i.e. using drugs and free sex). I think we should support them.

Sayuti
Calgary, Canada


The more you tighten your grip on perfectly innocent citizens, the more the Acehnese people will come to despise and disrespect you.

Andi Short
Jakarta


This doesn’t surprise me a bit. There is simply nothing to do up there and this is a job creation scheme and chance to live in a fantasy-power world.

Wren
Florida

Posted in: News Today