Sharia law in Aceh only for petty criminals

Sharia law in Aceh only for petty criminals

Aguswandi, London

A young girl falls into a hole and enters a world of confusion
and absurdity. Everything has been turned upside down and she is
trapped into dealing with small things, unable to focus on the
world beyond.

The world of Alice in Wonderland is not dissimilar from the
world the Acehnese now inhabit.

Last week in Aceh several poor people -- accused and found
guilty of gambling under sharia (Islamic law) -- were publicly
caned by a government-appointed executor. This was the first
application of sharia since its imposition several years ago.

This is an absurdity; never in the history of Aceh has Islam
been exploited in this way, simply to punish the poor. In the
past Islam was the foundation and inspiration for the Acehnese to
defend themselves against colonialism, social injustice and
oppression.

Islamic values informed the fight against Portuguese
oppression, which stopped their colonial expansion in Asia, and
galvanized the Acehnese to defend themselves against Dutch
invasion. The resilience of the Acehnese effectively bankrupted
and thus defeated the Dutch. These values went on to imbue many
Acehnese with the will to oppose injustice in the post colonial
era. It was non-conservative values of Islam, a desire for
equality and justice that motivated the Acehnese to seek freedom
from any and all attempts to conquer them.

Only now, some ulema have been empowered by the government to
punish petty criminals in accordance with sharia.

Gambling, if it is to be considered a crime, at least only
harms the gamblers, at worst their families. Aceh is full of
groups and individuals who are harmful to society, committing
crimes that perpetuate conflict and exploitation.

The crimes of the powerful; the killing of innocent civilians
or involvement in large-scale corruption seem to elicit a
different response than the crimes of the poor. When the rich and
powerful are immune from judicial action, even under sharia, and
the poor are subject to the extremes of this religious law it
only serves to institutionalize inequality.

A question was recently posed on the internet, circulated by
some young Acehnese, asking jokingly how many times Aceh's
suspended governor Abdullah Puteh would be caned if this law were
to be applied to him.

How about if this law was applied to those who are killing
Acehnese civilians? No, it will not apply to them, said the
sharia authority. In fact it will not even be applied to the
judge who is trying the first execution case, who has admitted to
receiving money as a bribe from the defendant.

Indeed it is only for the poor, the powerless among the
Acehnese, to bear the brunt of this newly emboldened sharia
authority. The other group targeted are women, the most
vulnerable groups of Acehnese society at present. Rather than
government discussion about women's rights and education, the
focus is now on clothes, the head scarf and women's manner of
dress.

Sharia police have occasionally conducted sweeps to check
whether Acehnese women are wearing their clothes in accordance
with sharia. Recently, at a meeting of local government
officials, a woman was made to sit at the back of the room. All
this comes at a time when the women of Aceh are calling for
equality, access to education and a voice in the reconstruction
process.

This is an insult to Acehnese women, who in the past have
asserted their will to play a significant role in society. To
cite a few obvious examples, three women have ruled the kingdom
of Aceh, there have been several female admirals and high-ranking
members of armed forces. Most famously, Cut Nyak Dhien -- but
there was also Cut Meutia, Pocut Baren and others. There has been
no such discussion about dress code in the past, yet both Islam
and women's involvement in wider society have flourished.

By emphasizing conservative aspects of religion and strict
adherence to sharia, some leaders seek to blinker the Acehnese
from wider problems in the region. They are exploiting the
religious conviction of many Acehnese to manipulate them. In
truth they are acting as an obstacle to change by distracting the
locals from the main problem of injustice.

This orchestrated distraction is perfect for a government that
seeks to neutralize progressive voices in Aceh. This is a
strategic alliance, of the government with conservative religious
figures, to pacify the Acehnese.

This use of religion as a political tool to pacify the
population -- or as political bribery -- is a dangerous move. It
is like setting a time bomb. When it goes off it could unleash a
harsh era of intolerance and strengthen the forces of
conservative Islam. This is the last thing anybody wants to
happen in Aceh.

The writer is an Acehnese human rights advocate working for
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign in London and Kontras
in Jakarta. He can be reached at agus_smur@hotmail.com