Sharia Byelaws
Feb 18th, 2008, in Opinion, by RossRoss fumes against sharia byelaws in Indonesia.
Government’s Sharia Cop-Out
Jakarta Post 16th Feb,tells us that Home Minister Mardiyanto “did not see any need to review the so-called sharia bye-laws enforced in many regions, the minister claimed there was no such thing”. He said:
Explicitly, there are no “sharia bye-laws”. What exist are byelaws that implement the Islamic do’s and don’ts, but in a more specific manner.
Oh well, that’s okay then.
Despite the differences in the implementation of the bye-laws, they all have one thing in common – to ensure that aspects of life are conducted based on Islamic teachings.
Happily, some decent Muslims are speaking up, notably the Wahid Institute’s Azyurmadi Azra and Ahmad Suaidy. Suaidy, the director of the Wahid Institute, said:
The enforcement of sharia bye-laws also leads to classifying non-Muslims as second-class citizens, which is against the Constitution.
Quite so. Dhimmi status.
The Minister claims that in Aceh, for example, the disputed regulations were only applied to Muslims. In other words, the entire principle of the rule of law, one law for all citizens, is discarded by Indonesia. At the behest of bigots like the FPI and its “respectable” big brother, the MUI, the state will tell women how they may dress.
If two friends of different faiths go shopping in Bandar Aceh, one may be arrested for going unscarfed, while her Christian pal goes unmolested. (Of course the sharia goons will have to apprehend both for a while, to check their ID cards!) IT IS NOT THE STATE’S BUSINESS!
We non-Muslims already have to submit to the dictates of the dogmatists when not just Muslim businesses but all entertainment centres are forcibly closed down on “holy days”. This manifest mistrust of their own following (who would, in the government’s eyes, presumably flock to nightclubs if they were left open) impacts on Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and everybody, only because the mullahs fear their “subjects” disobedience!
In some parts of the country, you can’t buy a beer because the clerics have declared prohibition. Christians and others who don’t have any rules on alcohol therefore suffer unfair treatment, just because the goons reckon the Muslim-in-the-street will splurge his wages on booze, if supplies are available! It’s pathetic!
35 Comments on “Sharia Byelaws”
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Ross’ post actually got mentioned in the 4th March edition of “The Straits Times” in Singapore, in an article by Bernhard Platzdasch called “A Misuse of Syariah Rules?” You need to be a subscriber to view the thing on their website I think, but it got copied on an email list, here, and here’s the relevant bit:
The weblog Indonesia Matters recently gave an example: ‘If two
friends of different faiths go shopping in Bandar Aceh, one may
be arrested for not covering her hair while her Christian pal
goes unmolested. (But) of course, the syariah police will have
to apprehend both to check their ID cards.’ -
The Home Affairs Minister has a say because they are the Minister that is responsible for reviewing / approving Regional Regulations once they have been issued. Generally, it is a compliance review to ensure that the regulations do not exceed authority and that they are within the scope of the constitution.
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The statement that there are no Sharia by-laws (regional regulations) is probably true for areas outside of Aceh. The Qanun are pretty much Sharia regulations.
For the rest of Indonesia this is just semantics though. Where a law purports to implement a particular values system, in this case Muslim, then to all intents and purposes it is a Sharia law in all but name.
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zekky says:
no shutting down Bali for Nyepi. No intimidation of non-Hindus for failing to follow the dictates of that holiday… How come Bali and all its special religious considerations never come up in these conversations on religious laws…?
I think Bali’s small size, inconsiderable cultural influence over the rest of Indonesia, and historically vastly Hindu population explains why it’s not taken as seriously as Aceh.
With media coverage of Islamic extremism, many probably presume that Aceh’s shari’ah is imposed by a few clerics over a miserable majority, whereas Bali’s ‘exotic’ image probably makes everyone think that all Balinese are happy to follow Hindu laws.
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You think Drakenmuur is name calling, I say it is a Dutch translation of your IM name, nothing more, nothing less. It was meant to break the ice, to relax. At least I had the decency to explain it and disregard it afterwards after you went bezerk. At that time I wasn’t aware enough what kind of character you are. My mistake. Now I am aware after I read some of your other comments here at IM. Mas Aluang has described it picture perfect:
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