Aceh braces for new challenges<\/p>\n
BANDA ACEH (JP): Since the 17th century, Indonesia's
\nwesternmost province of Aceh has enjoyed a reputation as one of
\nthe most prosperous Moslem areas in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
The region is often lauded as a place where Moslems have
\nsuccessfully blended tradition and religion. For the Acehnese,
\nboth elements are inseparable from their lives, what they term in
\nthe local language Adat ngon hukom lagee ngon sifeuet.<\/p>\n
But modern influences have begun to shake the established core
\nof tradition. The Jakarta Post met several experts in the city
\nlast week to determine their views on the changing face of
\nAcehnese society.<\/p>\n
Muslim Ibrahim, director of Post-Graduate School of the
\nIslamic Institute IAIN Ar-Raniry in Banda Aceh, observed that
\nchanges were already present.<\/p>\n
\"It is a natural process in this globalization era,\" he said.
\n\"Religiosity and secularism stand side-by-side in Aceh today.\"<\/p>\n
Acehnese society in general holds tightly to both religious
\nand traditional codes, but he conceded that a shift had occurred.
\n\"In the past, all community members, regardless of class, held to
\nthe views. Today, some groups of people are starting to
\ncompromise with values outside the existing codes.\"<\/p>\n
He said there were positive and negative aspects to societal
\nchanges among youths.<\/p>\n
\"I see that in urban areas, young people are now conducting
\nmore religious practices,\" said the doctorate holder in Islamic
\nlaw philosophy from Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. \"If we
\nvisit a mosque in Banda Aceh or other cities in the province, we
\nmay see a lot of teenagers praying, reading the Koran and doing
\nother constructive activities. It is very encouraging.\"<\/p>\n
At the same time, some youths had embraced a \"modern\"
\nlifestyle often at odds with tradition.<\/p>\n
\"They have inappropriate perceptions of modernism, as they
\nonly adopt physical aspects rather than its way of thinking,\"
\nsaid Ibrahim, also one of the chairmans of the province's Ulemas
\nCouncil (MUI).<\/p>\n
He said he haven't entered any movie theater or other
\nentertainment centers here, but he feels really concerned to
\nlearn that more and more young people visit such places.<\/p>\n
He also believed that television programs, both local and
\nforeign produced, were bad influences.<\/p>\n
\"What we need now is to build strong shields to curb any
\ndevelopment excesses which will affect the society,\" said
\nIbrahim.<\/p>\n
One preventive action would be to censor entertainment
\nprograms broadcast in Aceh, he said, adding this was an issue
\nwhich needed more attention.<\/p>\n
He said the province's censorship board, composed of
\ngovernment officials, business representatives, scholars and
\nulemas, was still ineffective.<\/p>\n
Nurjanah, a teenager counselor, said the media could play a
\ngreat role in spreading information about teenage problems.<\/p>\n
\"When we had our own local newspaper, people began to read
\nnews on youth problems,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Some of the cases received coverage in the national media, she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Family values in Aceh were undergoing marked changes, she
\nsaid. The urban middle class is growing, and the lifestyle of
\nthis group is shaping their offsprings' physical and emotional
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Many middle-class parents, usually well-educated and aged
\nbetween 40 and 50 years, are more permissive in rearing their
\nchildren than their own parents, Nurjanah said.<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes they are too lenient in disciplining their
\nchildren,\" she said. \"For instance, they often let their kids
\nstay out of the house until midnight.\"<\/p>\n
They also tend to spoil their children with material goods,
\noften neglecting emotional needs.<\/p>\n
This contrasted with villages where parents tend to be overly
\nstrict and rigid in enforcing moral tenets, creating a perpetual
\nstate of tension for their ofspring.<\/p>\n
\"Many juvenile delinquencies involve teenagers from rural
\nareas who come to the city to continue their education,\" she
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Freed from parental strictures, the youths indulge themselves
\nin taboo activities.<\/p>\n
Ahmad Humam, a sociologist at the University of Syiah Kuala in
\nBanda Aceh, said youth problems were common to developed and
\ndeveloping nation.<\/p>\n
In developed countries, problems are more serious but there
\nare also well-designed programs to deal with it, he said.<\/p>\n
\"I keep wondering how a liberal country like the United States
\nconsistently enforces minimum age restrictions for smoking,
\npurchasing alcohol and watching adult movies,\" Humam said. \"But
\nin Indonesia, young people are often seen watching adult movies
\nat movie theaters. Some of them are also found hanging around in
\ndiscos, dancing and drinking alcohol.<\/p>\n
\"We may have regulations prohibiting young people from these
\nactivities, but there is no strict enforcement from local
\nauthorities.\"<\/p>\n
The problems are seldom discussed seriously and systematically
\nby members of the House of Representatives. \"It requires a strong
\npolitical will to deal with the youth issue. I hope that the
\nnewly-elected House members will be more active and responsive to
\nyouth issues.\"<\/p>\n
He warned that the youth problems now emerging were likely to
\nincrease in the future unless concerted schemes were implemented.<\/p>\n
This does not mean that development should be rejected, he
\nsaid. \"Historically, we were adaptable to any foreign influence.
\nIt was the Acehnese who easily mixed with foreign visitors and
\ntheir traditions.\" (raw)<\/p>",
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