Death by stoning in Indonesia

Analysis: Forget what you've heard about "creeping fundamentalism." It's not true.

By Peter Gelling - GlobalPost
Published: September 28, 2009 05:27 ET
Page 2 of 2

There is a sense, in fact, among some Acehnese analysts, that the passing of the law was not meant to enforce Islamic morals at all, but instead was meant as a political move to destabilize the incoming parliament.

“There is a sense that the outgoing parliament deliberately left a 'time-bomb' for their successors,” Jones said. “The next parliament will be open to criticism either way, damned for being insufficiently supportive of Sharia if they try and roll it back, damned for intolerance and cowardliness if they let it go ahead, even in a modified form.”

If the new parliament doesn’t rescind the law, however, Jakarta will. Andi Mallarangeng, an adviser to the president, said the central government would likely review the law’s legality. Such an action could have interesting repercussions for the country as a whole.

Numerous Sharia-based regulations have been passed by local governments throughout Indonesia and so far, the Home Affairs ministry has not acted, even though the regulations are in clear violation of Indonesian law, which forbids local governments from enacting religious-based legislation.

“In the case of Aceh, the Ministry will almost certainly act — which may bring some of the other regulations around the country into question,” Jones said.

Aceh’s new law isn’t the first time Sharia-based regulations have been passed there. Laws have existed for years requiring women to wear headscarves in public, for instance, and there was a time when women were occasionally, sometimes brutally, punished. But when you walk the streets of its capital these days, numerous women forgo the headscarf, openly flouting the law with little to no consequence. Such religious-based laws have always been followed by a public backlash — both domestically and internationally. It appears this most recent law will befall the same fate. Already national women’s groups have rallied to demand the retraction of the legislation.

The Acehnese themselves are also bewildered.

“Among so many aspects of Sharia Law, I don’t understand why the Aceh parliament prioritized the stoning law, while corruption and social welfare are so much more critical,” said, Jalil, 36, a male consultant working in Banda Aceh.

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Posted by Euro22 on September 29, 2009 06:01 ET

Forget what you've heard about "creeping fundamentalism." It's not true.

What is creeping fundamentalism in your opinion?

When the introduction of stoning laws doesn't count as 'creeping fundamentalism' ~

    Is it an effort to protect Islam at all cost - that you must never offend - even though what they are doing in some cases is offensive. Or is this a religious thing - where you read a holy book and was so moved - you feel the need to share or something.

Indonesia had already introduced caning - and Shari'a laws in about half the provinces.

Back in 2003 - the don't-panic sign also went up - when Aceh introduced Shari'a law - questions were raised over - whether they intended to move toward stoning and other more draconian types of Islamic penalties.

Back then - we got the same assurances ~ it is not going to go any further - this is it! Back then the Shari'a laws were to be applied to Muslims only - but today despite the educated assurances - the law will now be applied to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

One can bury their head in the sand - but there is a clear pattern here. In the Maldives for example they have just introduced caning, and no non-Muslim can hold citizenship there. But if the writer doesn't consider the introduction of a stoning law - creeping fundamentalism - then he would no doubt put forward some other rational explanation for what is going on in the Maldives - where for example - to call someone a Christian is considered the highest insult. And they closed the children's library to purge it of UNESCO books [donated] that may have featured other religions - books like the Little Jewish Princess - or all un-Islamic books which were deemed offensive to Islam.

What we are looking at is the reality of Islamization - and some very educated Muslims feel that this is good for the West. Better to argue about Indonesia, Southern Thailand and far flung places like the Maldives - than to live this creeping reality - such as they contend with in Pakistan.

Recent on Indonesia :

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