Raids and seizures as Aceh police block New Year celebrations
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Teams of Sharia police in Aceh - which ensure compliance with the precepts in terms of clothing and costumes in the only Indonesian province where Islamic law is in force - carried out numerous raids to prevent the festivities linked to the New Year. The officers confiscated fireworks, firecrackers, trumpets and any "special items" used in celebrations to greet the arrival of 2014. For the first time in the history of Aceh , the residents were not able to celebrate New Year's Eve freely and in public.
Three weeks ago, the Advisory Council of Banda Aceh Ulema (MPU) had issued a warning to the population, and ordered it not to "celebrate" Christmas and New Year, because they do not belong "to the spirit of Islam". As a result many teams of Sharia police , along with civil servants , patrolled the streets and punished those who tried hard to break the rules , including the consumption of alcohol.
Illiza Sa'aduddin , deputy chief of police of Banda Aceh , said that the goal of the night patrols was " the full implementation of sharia" and severe penalties were handed out against those who have broken the rules .
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has seen a rise in the number of attacks or acts of intolerance against minorities, including Christians, Ahmadi Muslims and others.
Aceh is the only Indonesian province that enforces Sharia (Islamic law), following a peace deal between the central government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM); however, in many other parts of the country, people are subjected to more radical and extreme visions of Islam.
In addition, certain rules such as the notorious building permit (Ijin Mendirikan Bangunan or IBM in Indonesian) are used to prevent construction or seal off places worship, like the Yasmin Church in West Java
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31/01/2019 17:56
28/02/2018 12:57
