Near the big mosque in Banda Aceh, a team of Shariah police officers is preparing to go out on patrol. Armed to the teeth and wearing khaki uniforms, they climb into a pickup truck.

Their task is to make sure that the province’s inhabitants follow the new Shariah dress and behavior codes. Their targets are women wearing pants that are too tight-fitting, or not wearing headscarves for example. Unmarried couples holding hands on the beach also draw their attention.

Marzuki, the head of the Aceh Provincial Shariah Law Department, sees the measures “as preventative. We don’t behave in an aggressive way against lawbreakers but try to convince people and inform them about our intentions.”

Population generally in favor of Shariah law

The Acehnese – 90 percent of whom are Muslim – have reacted variably to the law but generally they are in favor.

"I think that the police should continue making sure that Shariah is upheld. The implementation of the laws has to be improved.“

"The Shariah police are just doing their duty. It is every individual Muslim’s duty to uphold Islamic values.”

But some young people think that the codes are over-the-top and that they encroach on their private life. Rahmadan Alfian, a student, says that “human rights are being violated but some of the rules are appropriate – such as the one banning tight pants which show the body shape.”

Ervida thinks there is a lack of clarity at the moment and “there is not enough communication between the authorities and the population. That’s why there are many misunderstandings when it comes to implementing Shariah law.”

Law triggered international outrage

When the law was passed last year, there was outrage across the world. Some said the law that threatens adulterers with stoning went against the Indonesian constitution.

But Nur Kholis from the Indonesian Commission for Human Rights thought it would be difficult to repeal it, saying it did not matter what the national law said Aceh’s autonomous status made it “very difficult”.

Other provinces and regions in Indonesia now want to introduce similar dress and behavior codes. Religious leaders in East Java recently banned couples that are engaged from having photos taken together before the wedding. In Central Java, certain zealous Muslims have started raiding hotels and hunting down unmarried couples.

Last month, human rights activists called on the authorities in Aceh to disband the Islamic police force after a woman was allegedly gang-raped in custody. The 20-year-old had been arrested with her boyfriend. Activists said the Shariah police did not have powers to detain people but only to issue warnings.

Author: Bernd Musch-Borowska/act
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein