Power struggle within old pro-independence camp behind Sharia-inspired rules
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Local authorities in Aceh, Indonesia's Sharia-based jurisdiction, have introduced a new bill based on Islamic principles that has proven controversial. In Bireuen Regency, plans are underway to require people, both men and women, to conform to a Muslim dress code. Although not yet implemented, the proposal has already generated opposition among most residents and turned them against religious leaders as well as the local legislature and authorities. By contrast, the latter want to speed up the approval process.
For experts of local politics, the controversy over the latest attempt to "Islamise" the area is only a pretext to hide a power struggle between different factions within the former pro-independence Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka or GAM), which is currently in power.
For Muhammad Ridwan, head of the Bireuen Legislative Council, the draft bill (qanun or local law in Acehnese) is needed because some women in public places are not dressed in accordance with Islamic precepts that require that the entire body be covered. At present, he is looking at ways to fast track the proposal, which has however been met with strong opposition, with many people not keen on the idea of new limits on men and women.
Aceh-born sociologist Teuku Fasya Kemal is one of the bill's critics. In his view, "the authorities have failed the community". Two trends have in fact caused apprehension in the population. The first concerns public punishments for behaviour that does not conform to public morality. The second is about attacks against individuals or groups that do not conform to the most rigid interpretations of Islam.
Factional divisions within GAM, the old separatist movement, have further complicated the situation as one faction backs the Acehnese Party (PA), whilst the other sides with the Acehnese National Party (PNA). Indeed, this is the real problem in Aceh, namely a power struggle inside the ruling elite.
In Fasya's opinion, "Promoting Sharia-inspired laws is just a way to distract the public from the most pressing problems."
The ban in Lhokseumawe on women straddling motorbikes, plus some dress code rules, like banning women wearing jeans or skirts, are some of the many examples of Aceh's "Islamisation".
Located at the western end of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, Aceh is the only jurisdiction in the archipelago where Islamic law is in place, enforced by a 'morality' police that does not shy away from punishing law-breakers.
Sectarian tensions are also growing. The recent past has in fact seen a rise in violent anti-Christian incidents, including the forced closure of Christian places of worship.
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