Indonesian Sharia police separate Aceh lesbian couple

BBC News, ByAlice Budisatrijo, Jakarta, 25 August 2011

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• Indonesia Islamic laws 'abusive'
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Islamicpolice in the Indonesian province of Aceh have forced two women to have theirmarriage annulled and sign an agreement to separate.

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia to
apply Sharia law

The womenhad been legally married for a few months after one of them passed as a man infront of an Islamic cleric who presided over their wedding.

Butsuspicious neighbours confronted the couple and reported them to police.

The twowomen are now back with their families, forcibly separated and undersurveillance by the Islamic police.

The localSharia police chief told them Islam said they must be beheaded and burned forwhat they had done.

But Aceh,the only province in Indonesia that is allowed to implement Sharia law, has yetto adopt any provisions dealing with gay and lesbian people.

Theprovincial parliament passed Islamic laws authorising the stoning to death ofadulterers and the caning of homosexuals in 2009, but the governor has refusedto sign it.

Homosexualityis frowned upon but legal in Indonesia.

Activistshave blamed Aceh's Sharia laws for encouraging vigilantism and intolerance, andsay they violate the Indonesian constitution.

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About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”


"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)  New !

Indonesian Rights Group Says Caning Unconstitutional

Jakarta Globe, May 27, 2011

A Sharia law official caning a man convicted of unlawful contact between
unmarried man and woman in Jantho, Aceh province, in April 8. Aceh adopted
a form of Shariah law in 2001 as part of the regional autonomy offered to
help quell separatist sentiment. Amnesty International recently argued that caning
violates the UN Convention against Torture, which Indonesia ratified in 1998, and
urged Indonesia to bring Aceh’s bylaws in line with international and national human
rights laws and standards. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)

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An Indonesian human rights group on Friday condemned the use of caning in staunchly Islamic Aceh province, saying the punishment violated the country's constitution.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) urged the government to repeal a bylaw used by the partially autonomous province to carry out the punishment under Muslim sharia law.

Dozens of men have been publicly caned there for gambling this month.

Kontras said that caning should be barred by clauses in the country's constitution which grant citizens freedom from torture and from acts that detract from human dignity.

"The Indonesian government has to review the use of caning as punishment," deputy coordinator Indria Fernida said in a statement.

"A slow response by the government will indicate that they neglect this matter and adhere to a kind of punishment that violates the constitution and human rights principles," she said.

On Thursday, 19 people were being lashed in public after being caught gambling. Twenty--one people were also lashed earlier this month for gambling, while the punishment is also used for offenses including adultery.

Sixteen people were reportedly caned in Aceh last year, according to rights group Amnesty International, which said last week that the punishment violated the UN Convention against Torture.

"It seems that Aceh's authorities are increasingly resorting to public caning in violation of international law," Amnesty's Asia--Pacific director Sam Zarifi said.

Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, adopted partial sharia law in 2001 as part of an autonomy package aimed at quelling separatist sentiment.

Caning carried out there is mainly aimed at causing shame rather than injury.

AFP

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Aceh leaders pan call to end caning

Indonesian government must repeal caning bylaws in Aceh

The Jakarta Post, Sun, 05/22/2011

The Indonesian government must end the use of caning as a form of punishment and repeal the laws that allow it in Aceh province, Amnesty International said Sunday after at least 21 people were publicly caned since 12 May.

In Langsa city, 14 men were caned outside the Darul Falah mosque on 19 May, following the caning of seven men a week earlier.

All 21 were found to have violated an Aceh bylaw (qanun) prohibiting gambling and were given six lashes each as hundreds of people looked on.

“It seems that Aceh’s authorities are increasingly resorting to public caning in violation of international law,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.

“Victims of caning experience pain, fear and humiliation, and caning can cause long-term or permanent injuries. The Indonesian government must act to stop these punishments, which constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and often amount to torture.”

According to media reports, at least 16 men and women were also caned in Aceh in 2010.

In addition to the Aceh bylaws providing for caning, the Aceh Criminal Code (Qanun Hukum Jinayat) passed by the Aceh parliament in 2009 provides for stoning to death for adultery and caning of up to 100 lashes for homosexuality.

This code has not yet been implemented, in part because of intense criticism at local, national, and international levels.

Amnesty International called on the Indonesian central government to review all such bylaws and local regulations to ensure that they conform with international and Indonesian human rights law and standards.

“Indonesia’s decentralization process and regional autonomy were supposed to be about empowering local populations, and should not come at the expense of their human rights,” said Sam Zarifi.

Aceh’s provincial legislature passed a series of bylaws governing the implementation of Shari’a law after the enactment of the province’s Special Autonomy Law in 2001. Caning was introduced as a punishment carried out by Islamic courts for offences also including adultery, consumption of alcohol, unmarried adult couples who are alone in isolation (khalwat) and for any Muslim found eating, drinking or selling food during sunlight hours in the fasting month of Ramadan.

Caning punishments violate the UN Convention against Torture, which Indonesia ratified in 1998. The Committee against Torture has also raised concerns that people detained under Aceh’s bylaws are not afforded their basic legal rights, including the right to legal counsel, and are apparently presumed to be guilty.

A Sharia law official whips a man convicted of unlawful contact between
unmarried man and woman with a rattan stick during a public caning in Jantho,
Aceh province, Indonesia, Friday, April 8, 2011. A version of Islamic law was
introduced in the province in 2001 as part of negotiations to end the 29-year war
between separatist rebels and the military. The law bans gambling, drinking
alcohol and makes it compulsory for women to wear headscarves. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)

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Indonesia able to bridge Islam and West, says envoy

Antara News, Tue, May 17 2011

London (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has been able to prove its hope of bridging Islam and the West, Indonesian Ambassador to Germany Eddy Pratomo said.

The success was inseparable from the cultural characters of the Indonesian nation, he said at an international symposium on cultural diplomacy organized by the Berlin Institute for Cultural Diplomacy recently.

At the symposium the Indonesian ambassador spoke of the role of soft power and its significance in the realm of internal and external policies of Indonesia, spokesman for the Indonesian embassy in Berlin Purno Widodo said in an emailed statement to an Antara correspondent in London on Tuesday.

"Multiculturalism has been flourishing in Indonesia. It is made up of various elements serving as an important component in the soft power strategy of Indonesia," he told young professionals, academicians, political and diplomatic representatives, journalists and stakeholders in international relations at the symposium.

The soft power strategy dated back to the 14th century when the Majapahit Kingdom was established. At that time soft power was able to stem various tensions arising from multicultural reality among three religions, namely Buddha, Hindu and Islam, he said.

In implementing its foreign policy, the ambassador said Indonesia had always put emphasis on soft power with various modalities, such as moderate Islam and democracy, coupled with growing norms and values, including law enforcement, respect for human rights, good governance and freedom of the press.

Given the various modalities, Indonesia`s foreign policy had demonstrated the ever increasingly important role, evident from the international trust given to Indonesia to host the Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue and Bali Democracy Forum, he said.

Since then, Indonesia felt more confident to mediate in various conflicts between Islam and the West which had so far been under the spotlight, he said.

Editor: Bambang

US govt, people not enemies of Islam, ambassador says

Blontank Poer, The Jakarta Post, Surakarta | Sat, 05/14/2011

The US government and people are not enemies of Islam, but instead seeking dialogue for better mutual understanding, US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot A. Marciel said.

“We always like having dialogue with anyone except those who are for violence,” Marciel told students and teachers at the Al Muayyad Islamic boarding school in Surakarta, Central Java, on Thursday.

Responding to a question from a student regarding the assassination of Osama bin Laden, Marciel said the US was forced to kill Bin Laden as he refused to surrender.

On the issue of dumping his body into the sea, Marciel said his government had consulted so with a number of Muslim clerics.

“If we were to bury him, we would have to wait for permission from a particular country while at the same time we have to respect the body the way Islamic teaching does,” Marciel said.

Al Muayyad headmaster Abdul Rozaq Shofawi said what US troops had done in disposing of Osama’s body into the sea adhered to sharia law.

“In the past, haj pilgrims who died at sea were also buried at sea,” Rozaq said.

He added that if Osama’s body was buried on land it could create new problems for both his supporters and opponents. “Minimizing the risk is acceptable,” he said.

Rozaq expressed gratitude that his pesantren (Islamic boarding school) was the first place visited by the US ambassador on an official visit to Surakarta.

“I consider this an acknowledgement by the US government that the quality of our education here is high and contributes to global cooperation,” he said.

Rozaq said the visit would also signal to the world that pesantren in Indonesia were important educational institutions, not breeding grounds for terrorists.

“In general, the visit can serve as an important message that Surakarta is peaceful and cool, and not a center of Muslim radicalism as has been portrayed so far,” he said.

Apart from the pesantren, Marciel also visited a traditional market in Gading and the Danar Hadi batik museum as well as meeting with Surakarta Mayor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at his official residence.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post after the meeting, Jokowi expressed happiness and honor that his city was visited by the US ambassador.

“The smooth visit proves to the world that the people of Surakarta are well-mannered, love peace and make friends with anyone irrespective of their political stance, religions or culture,” he said.

Marciel, he added, was not the first US ambassador to visit the city. His predecessor, Cameron Hume, once stayed in Surakarta on a three-day visit.

“I took ambassador Hume on a sightseeing tour around the city without security guards. He enjoyed the beauty of the city. This is very important for the people that have struggled to promote Surakarta as a tourist city known for its culture,” he said.

Be careful of Arab-sponsored organizations: NU

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 04/15/2011

Said Aqil Siradj, the chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, the biggest Indonesian Muslim organization, said Arab-sponsored foundations and organizations must be addressed carefully due to their criticism of NU activities.

“Arab-sponsored organizations always criticize our tradition. This is terror on our theology,” he said.

Regarding the Cirebon blast, Aqil urged the police to work more seriously. “The Utan Kayu bombing is also not far from our minds,” he said.

He guaranteed there was no NU member involved in acts of terror.

Bomber's face: Indonesian National Police spokesperson Insp.
Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam holds up the photo of suspected suicide
bomber who blew himself at a mosque inside a police compound
in Cirebon, West Java on Friday, during a press conference at the main
police hospital in Jakarta, Saturday. The bombing was the first attack
on a mosque since extremists started targeting the predominantly
Muslim country a decade ago.(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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Indonesian Couples Caned over Extramarital Affairs

Jakarta Globe, April 08, 2011

An Indonesian Shariah official whipping Irdayanti Mukhtar, center, as
punishment for having an extramarital affair in Jantho, Aceh Besar,
on Friday. Two couples were caned in Indonesia's staunchly Muslim
Aceh province. (AFP Photo)

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Two couples were caned in Indonesia’s staunchly Muslim Aceh province on Friday after being caught having extramarital affairs, a prosecutor said.

Irdayanti Mukhtar being carried away after
she was caned as punishment for having an
extramarital affair in Jantho, Aceh Besar, on
Friday.Two couples were caned in Indonesia's
staunchly Muslim Aceh province. (AFP Photo)

About two hundred people gathered after Friday prayers to watch the four people receive their allotted lashes at a mosque in the city of Jantho, southeast of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.

Sudirman, 43, and Irdayanti, 34, received nine lashes each.

“The reason for the harsh punishment is that both of them are already married to other people,” prosecutor Bendry Almy said.

The other couple punished were Rudi Setia Yudda, 40, who received seven lashes, and 18-year old Nuramalia, who received four.

Irdayanti, who is married to another man, cried as the punishment was carried out and afterwards fainted. She was treated at a local hospital.

An Indonesian Shariah official whipping
a man as punishment for having an
extramarital affair in Jantho, Aceh Besar,
on Friday. Two couples were caned in
Indonesia's staunchly Muslim Aceh
province. (AP Photo)

The crowd shouted at Sudirman and Yudda, saying their adulterous behavior had caused them to be flogged and asking that they be meted out extra lashes.

Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, is one of several areas in Muslim-majority Indonesia where Islamic Shariah law has been adopted. Caning as carried out there is mainly aimed at causing shame rather than injury.

In December, two people were caned in Aceh after being caught having an extramarital kiss.

Agence France-Presse

Gay imam spreads message: "Homosexuality is not sinful"

RNW, 18 February 2011, by Klaas den Tek

(Photo: RNW)

South African Muhsin Hendricks is an Islamic cleric and a gay man.

He runs a foundation called The Inner Circle, which helps Muslims, who are struggling to accept their sexuality. He has come to the Netherlands to spread a simple message: “It’s okay to be Muslim and gay!”

It’s a message not everyone agrees with and the reason why Mr Hendricks is no longer officially a cleric.

Muhsin Hendricks looks a little tired. He is in the Netherlands at the invitation of the Amsterdam branch of gay rights organisation COC and he’s on a punishing schedule. There is enormous public interest in the “pink imam”, as he’s been dubbed.

Sin

But every trace of fatigue vanishes as Mushin Hendricks talks about his faith and his sexuality.

“Being Muslim and being gay are both strong identities. And I think that they are both innate identities for me. So somewhere along the line I had to reconcile the two.”

This was far from easy for Muhsin Hendricks. He was born into an orthodox Muslim family in South Africa. His grandfather was a cleric in one of Cape Town’s most prominent mosques. Mushin discovered at an early age that he was different. He played with dolls rather than cars. He was seen as being feminine and was teased as a result. All this was long before he even knew there was such a thing as homosexuality.

Mushin Hendricks took comfort in his faith, in spite of the fact that many Muslims believe it offers no place to homosexual feelings. Sexual love between two men or two women is prohibited. It is seen as one of the worst possible sins, punishable in some Islamic countries by death.

Sodom and Gomorrah

But Muhsin Hendricks decided to discover for himself what the Qur’an has to say about homosexuality. He pursued his Islamic studies in Pakistan. “It didn’t seem fair for a very merciful and compassionate God to condemn me for something that I didn’t choose.”

Muhsin Hendricks drew a striking conclusion from his studies: nowhere does the Qur’an state that homosexuality is forbidden. Not even in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Mushin refutes the interpretation that God destroyed the cities because men had sex with one another. He argues that the cities’ residents were punished for rape, not for consensual sex between men.

Divorce

The controversial cleric argues that there are even one or two Qur’an verses in which Allah acknowledges the existence of homosexuals. One example is in sura 24, verse 31. “It says that women have to put on extra clothing when they go out in public ... But not in front of those men who have no attraction for women. They must be the gay people,” he laughs.

Despite these discoveries, Mushin still did not feel able to acknowledge and openly express his own homosexual feelings. He married, and he and his wife had three children. Mushin’s wife was aware of his homosexuality but still tried to make the relationship work.

Mushin Hendricks’ knowledge of Islam and Arabic earned him respect in the mosques of Cape Town. But his feelings did not go away. After six years, his marriage ended in divorce and that was the moment when he officially came out of the closet.

Satanist

His mother fainted when she heard the news that her son Mushin was gay. But little by little she is beginning to understand. Some members of the family want nothing more to do with him.

Now Mushin Hendricks has met the love of his life. His partner follows another faith – Hinduism – and has not yet come out of the closet.

Mushin’s work at the mosque came to an abrupt end. His take on the relationship between homosexuality and Islam does not rhyme with the official doctrine. He has been branded a Satanist. Although he has never been physically threatened, he has to endure much abuse and criticism.

Empowerment

“Imams see me as a threat to their worldview and the way they see Islam. I don’t feel they should be threatened. It’s just another view that I would invite them to look at. My view allows queer Muslims to continue being Muslim but also to accept themselves for who they are.”

Muhsin Hendricks still sees himself as an Islamic cleric. With his foundation The Inner Circle he tries to help Muslims with their coming out. He gives empowerment workshops to make young people more self-aware. He will also give one here in the Netherlands: over sixty people have already signed up for it.

Visit the Inner Circle website or Facebook page

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About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channeled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”

Indonesia's Islamic laws are 'abusive', report says

BBC News, 1 December 2010

Related stories

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Two Islamic laws applied in the Indonesian province of Aceh violate peoples' rights and are implemented abusively, a new report has concluded.

Women, especially poor women, bear the brunt of
shariah law in Aceh, says Human Rights Watch

The New York-based Human Rights Watch group (HRW) says two of five local laws based on the Shariah legal code discriminate against women.

The laws against "seclusion" and dress codes are also not applied against rich or well-connected people, it says.

Islamic law applies only in Aceh in the secular state of Indonesia.

The new HRW report, "Policing Morality: Abuses in the Application of Sharia in Aceh, Indonesia," notes that the rights group takes no position on Shariah law as a whole - a system its supporters say provides a comprehensive guide to behaviour.

However, the "seclusion" law which makes association by unmarried individuals of the opposite sex a criminal offence in some circumstances, and laws on dress requirements, are discriminatory.

"These two laws deny people's right to make their own decisions about who they meet and what they wear," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Abuse

"The laws, and their selective enforcement, are an invitation to abuse," she said.

The word "seclusion" has been used to bar people simply meeting and talking in a quiet place.

Abuses include aggressive interrogations and attempts to force people to marry.

At least one case of rape of a woman in detention by the shariah police officers has occurred.

HRW says shariah police officers have told their investigators that they sometimes force women and girls to submit to virginity exams as part of the investigation.

The laws also allow for members of the public to identify, report and punish alleged misbehaviour which has also led to further violence and abuses which usually go unpunished, HRW says, citing several first-person accounts.

Other Islamic laws applied in Aceh relate to charitable giving, gambling, Islamic ritual and proper Muslim behaviour.

They were applied as part of the central government's attempts to appease the Islamic lobby in Aceh, where separatists have for years criticised unfairness in the distribution of wealth from Aceh's considerable oil and gas resources.

Surveys in the province have regularly highlighted local residents' unhappiness with the laws.

There has been no central or local government response to the HRW report.

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Indonesian Cleric Gets 4 Years Jail Over Sex With Child Bride

Jakarta Globe, November 24, 2010

Jakarta. An Indonesian court sentenced a wealthy Muslim cleric to four years in prison on Wednesday for having sex with a 12-year-old girl he took as his unofficial wife.

Pujiono Cahyo Widiyanto, center in white, a wealthy
Muslim cleric was sentenced to four years in prison
on Wednesday for having sex with a 12-year-old girl
he took as his unofficial wife. (AFP Photo)

Pujiono Cahyo Widiyanto, 45, from the Central Java city of Semarang, sparked nationwide controversy over his decision to wed Lutfiana Ulfa in August, 2008.

"The defendant has been proven to have had a sexual relationship with an underage girl, Lutfiana Ulfa. We sentence him to four years in prison," judge Hari Mulyanto said.

Lutfiana screamed hysterically when she heard the sentence read out in court.

"We'll appeal against the decision," Widiyanto's lawyer OC Kaligis said.

Widiyanto — also known as Sheikh Puji — said the girl had reached puberty when he married her in an unofficial religious ceremony, and claimed his actions were acceptable under Islam.

The age of consent in Indonesia is 16 for married females and 18 for males.

Indonesian law has harsh penalties for pedophilia, but unregistered marriages between older men and under-age girls are common in rural areas.

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Nursing Student in Banda Aceh Fights for Her Right to Wear a Skirt to Campus

Jakarta Globe, Nurdin Hasan | November 16, 2010

Banda Aceh. A student at the Muhammadiyah Nursing Academy in the Aceh capital said on Monday that she had been banned from her campus for wearing a long skirt.

“I was kicked off the campus, forbidden from attending lectures and excluded from final exams by not being given the test forms, and just because I went to school in a skirt,” said Zakiah Drajat, 30.

She said she had begun wearing skirts to campus the previous semester and was immediately made to feel unwelcome.

“I wore skirts but it was still in line with academy rules that say students should wear a white top and blue bottom. In the academy’s 2009 regulation book that I received, there was nothing forbidding the wearing of skirts,” she said.

Murtala Daud, deputy director of the academy, said that since it was founded 11 years ago, the academy had had a rule requiring female students to wear loose long trousers.

“Our school has regulations that must be followed. She violated the regulations, so she incurred sanctions. Every school has its own rules, and students cannot just do as they want,” she said.

She added that if Zakiah felt she could not abide by the school’s rules, she could simply enroll at another academy.

“For the last final examinations, we offered to let her take the examination wearing a skirt, but with the prerequisite that after the finals she would have to move to another school. She refused to sign the letter,” Murtala said.

Zakiah said that she did not feel comfortable wearing trousers in public.

“Even more so when men are looking at me, I feel really uncomfortable and ashamed wearing trousers,” she said.

“I just want to apply Islamic Shariah law. Just psychologically, I am unable to wear trousers without having an outer layer of a skirt.”

Murtala said that since the nursing academy was founded, there had been no protests over its dress code.

“Only now is there a student who is making this a problem,” she said.

Zakiah said she was routinely harassed for wearing a skirt on campus, including being kicked out of lectures and sent to the head office.

She said she hoped that organizations involved in defending women’s rights would come to her assistance and help her continue her studies at the academy, which is run by Muhammadiyah, the country’s second-largest Muslim organization.

She said she would continue her campaign to be allowed to wear a skirt, although she would have to miss next semester after failing to pass all of her classes.

Aceh has been allowed to apply partial Shariah law under a broad regional autonomy scheme granted by the central government as a condition of a peace pact signed with the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in August 2005.

In other parts of Aceh, district authorities have banned the wearing of tight trousers by women, giving away long skirts to women caught wearing such attire.

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The Michelle Obama handshake flap in Indonesia

USA Today, Nov 09, 2010

Protocol on presidential state visits can be tricky.

Witness the Michelle Obama handshake controversy going on in Indonesia.

Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring -- a conservative Muslim who says he makes no contact with women who are unrelated to him -- admits he shook Mrs. Obama's hand today, but adds that he was basically forced into it.

"I tried to prevent (being touched) with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me (so) we touched," Sembiring said on his Twitter account.

Critics have questioned his claim, pointing to the video above -- that's Sembiring, bowing, with a big smile on his face.

The Associated Press reports:

• In footage of the official welcome, Sembiring appeared to share his countrymen's enthusiasm (for the Obama visit). He smiled broadly as he shook the president's hand and then reached with both hands to grasp Michelle's. But later he said she forced their contact.
  
  His denial was in a response to tweets from Indonesians who noted the handshake, saying it called into question his long-standing claims that, as a good Muslim, he restricts his contact with women.
  
  Many posts had a "gotcha" quality to them.
  
  One female journalist -- who said the minister had refused to shake her hand -- gleefully noted that now he would no longer be able to wriggle out of it.
  
  Sembiring has often tweeted controversial comments, including blaming natural disasters on a lack of morality and joking about AIDS.

(Posted by David Jackson)

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