Sharia has 'little chance in the country'<\/p>\n
Tarko Sudiarno and Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post,
\nYogyakarta\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Sharia, or Islamic law, has little chance of being adopted in
\nIndonesia, politicians and a Muslim figure said.<\/p>\n
People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais said on
\nWednesday that being a pluralistic nation, Indonesia would have
\ntremendous difficulties in applying sharia.<\/p>\n
\"People tend to simplify things and think that if sharia is
\nimplemented everything will be fine and social welfare will
\nimprove. Well, it does not work that way all the time,\" Amien
\ntold The Jakarta Post at his house in Sleman, Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Amien was commenting on reports that a number of regencies in
\nthe country had begun enforcing sharia to different degrees.<\/p>\n
Besides in Aceh, sharia also has been introduced in Pamekasan
\nregency in East Java; Maros, Sinjai and Gowa regencies in South
\nSulawesi; and the regencies of Cianjur, Indramayu and Garut in
\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
In Indramayu, sharia has been implemented in the form of
\nrequiring civil servants to wear Muslim clothes on Fridays, to
\nrecite from the Koran for 30 minutes before beginning work and to
\nfast every Monday and Thursday.<\/p>\n
In Gowa regency, South Sulawesi, it has been ruled that
\nthieves will have their hands amputated, as required by sharia.
\nHowever, no one in the regency has yet been punished in this
\nmanner.<\/p>\n
Amien said Indonesian Muslims should give careful
\nconsideration before implementing sharia because it could taint
\nthe image of Islam, as happened in Pakistan and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
However, he did not rule out provinces implementing Islamic
\nlaw, as long as they met certain requirements.<\/p>\n
\"Provinces that wish to implement sharia in their regions
\nshould meet some requirements, such as at least 95 percent of the
\npopulation is Muslim and all of the members of the provincial
\nlegislature endorse the proposal,\" Amien said.<\/p>\n
But he doubted that the regions would be able to implement
\nsharia because they did not have the same historical background
\nas Aceh.<\/p>\n
Noted Muslim intellectual Azyumardi Azra said in Jakarta that
\nit would be difficult to implement sharia here because of the
\nabsence of a common platform and significant political and legal
\nsupport.<\/p>\n
He also said that those regencies that were implementing
\nIslamic law had narrowed the concept of sharia.<\/p>\n
\"Sharia is mostly interpreted as the obligation to wear a
\njilbab (headdress) for women or a koko (shirt) and
\nkopiah (hat) for men. Actually, it is more than just rulings on
\nphysical appearance,\" Azyumardi, rector of Syarif Hidayatullah
\nState Islamic University, told the Post.<\/p>\n
From the Islamic point of view, sharia touches on all aspects
\nof Muslim life, including establishing a criminal code, he said.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi added that the implementation of sharia, especially
\nthe criminal code, would create problems because Indonesia did
\nnot have the legal framework to support such a move.<\/p>\n
\"Regions that apply sharia's criminal code are violating the
\nConstitution, and it is the obligation of the Supreme Court to
\nban them from enforcing such a criminal code,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Another Muslim figure, Rusjdi Hamka, said the regencies
\nintroducing sharia interpreted Islamic law differently.<\/p>\n
\"So far, the implementation of sharia is just a slogan. I
\nmyself have yet to find a suitable concept that can be applied in
\nIndonesia,\" Rusjdi, co-chairman of the United Development Party
\n(PPP), told the Post.<\/p>\n
The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the country's
\nhighest legislative body, dejected during its Annual Session in
\nAugust a proposal from Muslim-based parties, including the PPP,
\nto include sharia in Article 29 of the Constitution.<\/p>\n
Rusjdi and Azyumardi agreed that a lack of support from
\npolitical parties and the Assembly limited the possibility of
\nimplementing sharia in the country.<\/p>\n
\"Campaigners for sharia account for only 4 percent of the
\nMPR's (700) members. It is not really significant. And some
\nparties are campaigning for the adoption of sharia out of
\npolitical interests,\" Azyumardi said.<\/p>",
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