Islamic Laws in Padang

Nov 17th, 2006, in News, by

The Padang government enforces an “Islamic” dress code for students and forbids women from going out at night alone.

Female school students in Padang, West Sumatra, are required to wear ankle length skirts, long sleeved blouses, and headscarfs/jilbabs. Boys must wear long trousers and long sleeved shirts.

One student, Ratna, claims that girls wear Muslim attire because they are afraid of their teachers.

Maybe the teacher will punish us. He/She will put our hair under the scarf.

The legal basis for the rule is to be found in a city by-law, Number 451.411/2005, which is itself based on the “Perda Anti-Maksiat”, Anti-Sin Law, promulgated by the regional parliament in Padang (Padang, Sumatra Sharia Laws).

The mayor of Padang, Fauzi Bahar, says the law has had a good effect:

I guarantee that there have been more positives than negatives from this law. In Papua, if the law were in force there, I couldn’t say that, but just in Padang, it’s connected to the culture here.

Fauzi says the rule is to allow for Islamic law to be abided by and it helps to prevent the spread of some diseases such as dengue fever. Day-time mosquitoes carry the dengue virus and they like to gather at schools and bite uncovered limbs and necks. Students who wear full length clothing and headscarfs can’t be bitten. He doesn’t mention the question of boys’ necks however.

Budiman, a member of Commission D of the West Sumatra parliament, says that Islamic law is appropriate for people in Padang and in accordance with Minangkabau tradition. He quotes a local saying:

Adat Basandi Syarak, Syarak Basandi Kitabullah (Tradition based on religion, religion based on the Quran.)

Good local laws are laws which take into account the habits and traditions of the local people, he says, and most people in Padang are supportive of the morality laws.

90% of the parliamentary members are Muslim, like the people in Padang, so laws which increase the understanding of Islam and advance the interests of Muslims in Padang receive a lot of support.

Padang also has a law forbidding women to go out at night unaccompanied. Fitriyanti, the chairman of the Padang branch of the Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia (KPI), says such matters should not be legislated on by the state and constitute a violation of human rights.

Fitriyanti claims that the anti-sin laws have not been successful in reducing bad behaviour. vhrmedia


42 Comments on “Islamic Laws in Padang”

  1. Raymond says:

    I accidentally found this discussion while, on 9th October, I was seeking information about the extent of the Padang quake on 1st October 2009. During the past 10 years I have visited the place often, and what I read here is totally Unrepresentative of Padang. I have found no imposed compulsion whatsoever about dress there. The regular, local ‘Moslem’ attire is sensible in that climate, and it was not very long before I discarded my hot, sweaty and unhygienic western clothes for cool loosely-fitting attire. While wearing western clothes there I have met with NO disapproval and have not witnessed disapproval of locals who wear western-style clothes, which are readily available in the local supermarkets and quite popular among young people.
    I don’t know where some of the contributors here gleaned their information. I sense their comments are not based on information at all. Rather, it seems that many are dogmatists who are merely asserting disapproval, without basis, of Islam; by rote and in some vain attempt to reinforce the current world-wide bullying of Islam that we witness these days. I have no idea what the motive is for posting the ridiculous non-information I read in many of the posts above. Chips on shoulders?

  2. Oigal says:

    Raymond, yup you will get the dogmatic and all the haters here. It’s kind of fun. However, are you serious????

    .

    by rote and in some vain attempt to reinforce the current world-wide bullying of Islam that we witness these days

    This would be as opposed to the welcoming arms to other religions in say Saudi Arabia, Iran?? Perhaps you have missed the wonderful (in)tolerance shown to sects outside the mainstream here in “tolerant” Indonesia.

    Correct me if I am wrong, no huge issues if a Christian wants to marry a Muslim in Malaysia is there? Just refresh my memory who has to convert?

    Perhaps you could also point out to us who is doing the bullying in the Sudan?

    Perhaps we could do a random country by country check for religious freedom and bullying and compare results.

    The regular, local ‘Moslem’ attire is sensible in that climate, and it was not very long before I discarded my hot, sweaty and unhygienic western clothes for cool loosely-fitting attire

    Laugh..yup I have seen you…always provides a giggle a westy indulging his fanasty of acceptance.
    .

  3. Raymond says:

    Oigal;
    In the last sentence of your previous comment you claim you “have seen” me. I doubt it. I am not one to use clothes to adopt a limited conformist style of any kind. I have never seen other “westies” giggling at me: the ones I see are usually huddling together; complaining about everything; looking physically uncomfortable to the point of distraction through being dressed in unsuitable, un-protective, hot, heavy, stifling, garb. When I first encountered this blog and after I had read a few messages I wondered if it was a voice-piece for those promoting the western clothing, which is now available for the rich in Indonesia’s supermarkets and department stores. I travel alone, without the ease of company that reinforces cultural prejudices – but at some personal risk – though the risk is not usually from Moslems.
    I can’t directly answer your questions about attitudes in some Moslem countries; like Arabia. However, in the case of The Sudan, it is the oil companies and their promoters in the south that cause violence; not the Islamic government. In Gujarati, ‘terrorism’ was initiated by right-wing Hindus, who massacred tens of thousands of Muslims – or Moslems however you like to spell it – before a relatively small, and arguable tardy, Moslem response to their acts of ‘ethnic cleansing’. That can be verified from considering related grass-roots reporting; but not of course from the finally-processed presentations from those who govern Zionist media policy. Such media impressions are lies, to the point that they generate fraudulent impressions about what, actually, ‘Islamic Law’ and ‘Jihad’ are. To throw in more examples – Somalia (the western-inspired invasion from the north) – Maluku (the ruthless killings by the Christian militia like the ‘yon gab’ totally unreported and suppressed) – Iraq & Afghanistan (the criminal wars to secure oil) – The South Philippines (the ‘war against terror’ to placate the American ally) – and now, further, there is a totally false and unrecognizable picture painted about the circumstances in West Sumatra (as part of the crusaders’ strategy to divide “the largest Moslem country in the world”). Then there is the militant tendency of ‘Christian’ groups in Malaysia (to harass the opposition). I have never tried to get married there; as you must have done to be able to comment as you do; but I am harassed as I walk about – not harassed by Moslems – but by gang-stalkers – Christian activists aggressively fighting for a usurper of Christ; but certainly not for the Christ that I know and respect. Many of them are feminists who act on prejudice rather than reality. Such coordinated activists also operate in Thailand and Japan (as part of a campaign to preemptively destroy ‘economic opposition’), where fortunately they do encounter some direct institutional opposition. In Malaysia it is the relative religious tolerance of their hosts that leads to their limited, short-term success. Given this scenario it is not surprising that a few Moslems can lose patience and react, in one way or another, to nonsensical abuse. One thing I am finding about this blog is that at least I am not being summarily slagged-off – by mindless thugs without argument in response to expressing my views, which I assure you are based on real experience.

  4. no syariah says:

    Which countries are sending their red-cross, doctors, medicines supplies, donation, vehicles & transportation to help the muslim fanatic of Padang earthquake victims ? They are the British (Anglican and atheist population), the Singaporean (orang2 Cina makan babi, sometime Buddhist sometime also Christian ada juga yang Singlish Indian, sedikit Malay Singaporean as an army team/red cross), the Russian (comunist), the Australian (pokoke western lah), … but I do not see MALAYSIA, SAUDI ARABIA (kata nya Serambi Mekkah ada di Aceh Indonesia, lha wong Mekah ono ning endhi ?), IRAN, IRAQ, EIGYPT, PALESTINE (jarene sedulur mu – tiang muslim ngaku awake brothers like Hermanos bahasa Spain), …
    KAUM MUSLIM INDONESIA JANGANLAH ANDA MENGAKU-NGAKU BAHWA SAUDARAMU HANYALAH ORANG PALESTINA, ORANG ARAB, DENGAN MEMAKAI JILBAB MENANGGALKAN SARUNG KEBAYA MU KARENA SEMUA LOYALITAS ARAB MU TERSEBUT HANYALAH FATAMORGANA …

    KALO AKU JADI ORANG MUSLIM, AKU MALUUUUUUUUUUU sekali !

  5. raymond says:

    I have spent a total of almost 3 years in Padang and I have yet to meet a “Moslem fanatic” there.

  6. sputjam says:

    No syariah says he could n’t find Malaysians in Padang.
    There were already about 2000 of them in Padang as students before the earthquake.
    One of the first planes to land were Malaysian airforce planes to help serach and rescue effort and evacuate malaysians, but some has deicded to stay on to assist the rescue affort.

    You won’t find a Malaysian flag because Malaysia is not exactly a popular word in Indonesia at the moment. And malays from peninsular malaysia and those from sumatra looked alike. They were once united under johore-Riau sultanate.

    There is an army field hospital even now. During the Aceh tsunami, some acehnese were transferred to malaysian hospitals, and several given scholarships to study in malaysia.

    Of course Malaysia cannnot do much more at the moment. It is turning into a failed state with every ruling party politician from top to bottom had been tainted with gruesome murder, corruption, sex scandals etc and is about to implode.

  7. Lairedion says:

    raymond said:

    I have spent a total of almost 3 years in Padang and I have yet to meet a “Moslem fanatic” there.

    The very subject of this thread is proof enough there are quite a number of “moslem fanatics” over there, at least in the Padang government. And with them comes the expected stupidity by explaining the wearing of headscarves as a protection against dengue fever.

  8. Andy says:

    Anyone noticed that Aceh went sharia and got hit by the tsunami and now Padang is going down the same road they get hit by a massive earthquake?

  9. BrotherMouzone says:

    Anyone noticed that Aceh went sharia and got hit by the tsunami and now Padang is going down the same road they get hit by a massive earthquake?

    Yes Andy, it obviously means that Jesus is angry with them…

    Now, you have a nice lie down and the nurses will be here with your medication in a moment…

  10. Pakmantri says:

    @BrotherMouzone,

    …………… LOL! 😀

    And the Samoan must have turned into Islam and applied Shariah law too, eh ……….??

    Salam.

  11. BrotherMouzone says:

    @PakMantri,

    Absolutely, not to mention the Chinese, the Bangladeshis, those guys in New Orleans, they all love a bit of Shariah apparently, and look where it got them! 😉

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