More Sharia Canings in Aceh Sumatra

Several Indonesian bloggers provide a great service to the English speaking world by translating Indonesia articles from the local press, though few do the job as well as Patung at Indonesia Matters. Today he digs up yet another story about a pair of Indonesian university students who were busted and caned by the Islamic Sharia police, who pretty much rule the roost up there in fundamentalist Aceh. Patung also provides links to the original articles for those of you fluent in Bahasa.

An amorous young couple in Aceh are given the lash.

Two romancing university students, a boy, Nuriadin bin Ismail (22), and a girl, Devita Citra Putri binti Ismail (21), were caught together in a boarding house room on 6th February 2007, subject to a citizens’ arrest by local people, and then handed over to the religious police, Wilayatul Hisbah, and they were then charged with unlawful proximity between an unmarried male and female.

They were later tried and found guilty of violating article 22 of Qanun (sharia law) No.14/2003 concerning sexual crimes.

On 20th April 2007 the two young people were each given four strokes of a rattan cane in the grounds of the Tungkop mosque in the Darussalam district of Aceh Besar regency, after Friday afternoon prayers had been performed. Devita cried as she was caned while the crowd cheered as each stroke landed on her back.

http://http://www.indonesiamatters.com/1248/girl-caned/

And another story from the Indonesian press posted by Barrie at Planet Mole about the same sad subject matter.

A member of Aceh’s sharia police was caught with a teenage girl in a Banda Aceh public bathroom on Thursday night. Raihan, 33, and Magda, 17, were found by military personnel patrolling Ie Masen village in Ulee Kareng district. The two were handed to village officials.

“They were caught at 1:30 a.m. inside a public bathroom,” Jamaluddin, the village’s secretary, said. The village residents decided that the two, who were alleged to be lovers, should get married in accordance with the local custom. Raihan said he was wrong and had acted against sharia, which has been implemented in the province since 2001. “I confessed my wrongdoing and I’ll marry her,” he told journalists.

He said the two were childhood friends and both had no living relatives. The sharia police chief in Banda Aceh, Bahagia, said he could not decide what to do with Raihan. “I’ve no comment. No decision has been made on his punishment,” he said.

Raihan’s case adds to a long list of sharia violations by Aceh officials this month. Sabang district court head Puji Wijayanto was recently caught with his girlfriend Rina, although the case is still being processed as he has claimed the two are relatives.

Meanwhile, police officer Darus was caught with a girl in a car in Kuala Batu airport’s parking lot in Susoh district. A large number of people founding guilty of gambling, drinking alcohol and “indecent acts” have been punished with public caning in the province.

http://http://www.planetmole.org/indonesian-news/sharia-policeman-caught-with-a-girl-banda-aceh-sumatra.html