Live
play
  • News
    • Middle East
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Coronavirus
  • Features
  • Economy
  • Opinion
  • Video
  • More
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Climate
    • Science & Technology
    • Sports
    • Podcasts

In Pictures

Gallery

In Pictures: New Islamic law in Indonesia

Amid human rights concerns, Indonesian province of Aceh extends Islamic law to some 90,000 non-Muslims.

University students pray after a swimming class on Ule beach in Banda Aceh. These classes are among the few interactions between men and women.
University students pray after a swimming class on Ule beach in Banda Aceh. These classes are among the few interactions between men and women.
By 
Antonio Zambardino
3 Dec 2014
facebooktwitterwhatsapp

Banda Aceh, Indonesia – Muslims and non-Muslims alike are now subject to strict Islamic law in the conservative province of Aceh.

It is the only one of Indonesia’s 34 provinces to impose Islamic law in the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world, with a population of about 250 million people.

Aceh province implemented Islamic law in 2001, but in September the religious “penal code” was extended to everyone, now applying to some 90,000 non-Muslims who live there.

Offences not previously regulated such as adultery, homosexual acts, and sex outside marriage are now punishable with sentences handed down by Islamic courts, including public flogging. Buying or carrying alcoholic beverages could result in 10 strokes of the cane, 10 months in prison, or a maximum fine of 100 grams in gold.

Amnesty International has expressed concern over the law and has called for an end to caning in Aceh, saying it goes against international laws on torture and human rights, as well as Indonesia’s own constitution. 

However, a Tuesday report by the Catholic News Service said an expansion of Islamic law to include non-Muslims has had little impact on Christians.

“Until now, no Catholic has been punished for violating sharia law, and I hope that doesn’t change in the future,” Father Hermanus Sahar, pastor of Banda Aceh’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church, was quoted as saying.

A mosque in central Banda Aceh. Muslims are required to attend Friday prayers and it is enforced by the religious police.
A mosque in central Banda Aceh. Muslims are required to attend Friday prayers and it is enforced by the religious police.
Advertisement
The remains of a hotel that used to stand in the middle of the park in front of the central mosque. Islamic authorities had it demolished after the place was labelled as a brothel.
The remains of a hotel that used to stand in the middle of the park in front of the central mosque. Islamic authorities had it demolished after the place was labelled as a brothel.
In February 2011, a few punk boys were arrested at a concert and (***)re-educated(***) through military drills.
In February 2011, a few punk boys were arrested at a concert and (***)re-educated(***) through military drills.
A group of friends take photos on Ule beach. Ule was severely damaged by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.
A group of friends take photos on Ule beach. Ule was severely damaged by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.
A hijab shop in central Banda Aceh. The extension of Islamic law to every person in Banda Aceh is hard to implement as most authorities - including members of the religious police - think it is bad for business.
A hijab shop in central Banda Aceh. The extension of Islamic law to every person in Banda Aceh is hard to implement as most authorities - including members of the religious police - think it is bad for business.
Employees of the Suzuya clothing shop at the central mall in Banda Aceh. As the newly extended Islamic law technically forbids women from wearing trousers, the dress code imposed by Suzuya creates a problem for its female employees.
Employees of the Suzuya clothing shop at the central mall in Banda Aceh. As the newly extended Islamic law technically forbids women from wearing trousers, the dress code imposed by Suzuya creates a problem for its female employees.
Advertisement
Girls exercising in the central park.
Girls exercising in the central park.
A young unmarried couple get together in a house they believe to be safe. It is against the new Islamic law to have pre-marital sex.
A young unmarried couple get together in a house they believe to be safe. It is against the new Islamic law to have pre-marital sex.
Christians gather in a church for holy mass. In Banda Aceh it is not permitted to build new churches as the authorities forbid the construction of any places of worship that isn(***)t Islamic.
Christians gather in a church for holy mass. In Banda Aceh it is not permitted to build new churches as the authorities forbid the construction of any places of worship that isn(***)t Islamic.
Sheikh Syah Kula(***)s grave and the mosque built around it are a very important place for prayer in Banda Aceh. 
Sheikh Syah Kula(***)s grave and the mosque built around it are a very important place for prayer in Banda Aceh. 
Religious police stop a family riding a motorbike on moral grounds because they broke the dress code imposed by the new Islamic law. The law prohibits tight trousers: All clothing that display the shape of the body are banned.
Religious police stop a family riding a motorbike on moral grounds because they broke the dress code imposed by the new Islamic law. The law prohibits tight trousers: All clothing that display the shape of the body are banned.
A woman and her husband, believed to be unmarried, are stopped and questioned by the religious police.
A woman and her husband, believed to be unmarried, are stopped and questioned by the religious police.
A man is forced to do 10 push-ups as punishment for wearing shorts and sporting an (***)improper(***) haircut.
A man is forced to do 10 push-ups as punishment for wearing shorts and sporting an (***)improper(***) haircut.
Confiscated goods at the police station include alcohol, a woman(***)s bag, fire crackers, and improperly used Quranic inscriptions.
Confiscated goods at the police station include alcohol, a woman(***)s bag, fire crackers, and improperly used Quranic inscriptions.

More from Gallery

In Pictures: Troops, riot fencing and razor wire in Washington DC

Members of the National Guard patrol near the United States Capitol building ahead of US President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, in Washington, DC. [Andrew Kelly/Reuters]

Photos: Kashmir resort sees tourists after back-to-back shutdowns

Tourists again fill Gulmarg's hotels, and ski, sledge and trek its Himalayan landscape. [Dar Yasin/AP Photo]

In Pictures: Tunisian troops quell unrest with force

Tunisian security forces fire tear gas as protesters block a street in the el-Tadamen suburb on the northwestern outskirts of Tunis. [Fethi Belaid/AFP]

In Pictures: Guatemala forces battle desperate Honduran migrants

Guatemalan police fire tear gas to disperse a caravan of thousands of migrants heading towards the US. [Johan Ordonez/AFP]
Most Read

Trump pardons 73, commutes sentence for 70 others: Full list

Trump did not pardon himself, members of his family or lawyer Rudy Giuliani [File/Evan Vucci/AP]

Trump, in farewell address, says movement ‘only just beginning’

President Donald Trump released a farewell video on Tuesday, his last full day in office [File: Gerald Herbert/AP Photo]

Trump pardons ex-aide Bannon, dozens of others: White House

Bannon was charged last year with swindling Trump supporters [File: Jonathan Bachman/Reuters]

China’s Jack Ma emerges for first time since Ant crackdown

The re-emergence of Jack Ma, co-founder of Ant, one of China's biggest technology firms, may help quell persistent rumours about his fate while Beijing pursues investigations into online finance [File: Marlene Awaad/Bloomberg]
  • About
    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Community Guidelines
    • Work for us
    • HR Quality
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
  • Our Channels
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
  • Our Network
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners
Follow Al Jazeera English:rssinstagramyoutubetwitterfacebook
logo
© 2021 Al Jazeera Media Network