Local Parliament In Indonesia Passes Bill To Stone Adulterers
by TAMMY ROSECRANS, Causecast Editor
In the devout Muslim province of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, legislation was passed on Monday to permit the stoning of those who commit adultery. The new law also establishes harsh jail sentences for homosexuality. This bill comes at a time when a strongly Islamic government is pushing to pass legislation before the more moderate, Aceh Party, comes into office in October.
From TIME:
On Sept. 14, Aceh’s legislative council used the semiautonomy granted by a post-tsunami peace agreement to vote unanimously for a raft of Shari’a-inspired punishments, including possible death by stoning for adultery and whipping for homosexual activity. People caught having premarital sex could be subjected to 100 public lashes. The new laws are the strictest in the nation. Although Indonesia is overwhelmingly Muslim, most of the country’s citizens are committed to a far more moderate form of the faith.
Aceh has long been one of Indonesia’s most conservative regions. But in recent months, the province had actually been leaning against the extreme Islamist currents that for centuries have characterized this northwestern end of the island of Sumatra. In April’s parliamentary elections, Acehnese booted out hard-line legislators in favor of politicians from the more moderate Aceh Party. The new political leaders take office in October, and their predecessors are using their last days in power to push through a variety of orthodox Muslim ordinances.
Photo by striatic, flickr.
- Posted by Causecast
Related causes: Human Rights
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