Maju tak gentar merangkak menuju ke Nagara Karuania Alloh?
Last Updated: Friday, 11 May 2007, 11:10 GMT 12:10 UK
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Islamic law by the back door
By Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Jakarta
Civilian police are looking for signs of alcohol and prostitution
Half an hour's drive from Indonesia's parliament, the civilian police in the
district of Tangerang go on patrol every evening. A dozen men, crammed into
the back of a pick-up truck, cruise the dimly-lit streets, looking for anywhere
serving alcohol or any woman they think might be a prostitute. The municipal
government in Tangerang has banned both alcohol and "any behaviour that
suggests prostitution". It is one of a number of districts which, despite
the fact Indonesia is a secular state, have recently brought in local
Islamic-style laws. On the night of my visit, the patrol was doing
spot-checks on the night-time vegetable market, some food stalls near a busy
road and a patch of scrubland the police say is a favourite spot for sex
workers. They found nothing. But many people in the area say it is not only
prostitutes who get picked up by the patrol. Lilis lives with her husband and
two children on the outskirts of Tangerang. Just over a year ago, she was
arrested by the civilian police while waiting for a taxi on her way home from
work. The police could not reach her husband, so Lilis was fined and jailed
as a prostitute. She told me the arrest had left her shocked and traumatised,
that she was now afraid to go anywhere on her own, and that even when she was
out with her husband, the sight of the civilian police sent her into a panic.
Fear of arrest Since her arrest, Lilis has lost her job, and has had to move
house.
The authorities say they only catch prostitutes, but that's not true
Lilis
She rarely goes out in public now, and has begun wearing a headscarf in the
hope it will make her less of a target. "My daughter is afraid to go too far
from the house," Lilis told me. "She's afraid people will talk about her the
way people talked about me." "The authorities say they only catch
prostitutes, but that's not true. Lots of women simply come back late from work
or school." Tangerang is an industrial area, and the evening shift at many of
the factories here finishes late - sometimes 10 or 11pm. One of the problems,
say campaigners, is that the regulation against prostitution is worded vaguely
- it simply bans any behaviour that suggests prostitution, and that means it is
down to individual patrols to judge whether a woman is breaking the law. But
the head of Tangerang's patrol, Pak Lutfi, told me that the civilian police was
being blamed unfairly. "We look for prostitutes," he told me. "For instance
those who stand in improper places, who don't stand
at bus stops. We're sure they're prostitutes but ultimately we let the judge
decide." But it is not only the way in which these laws are being enforced
that is sparking a debate. Many civil and human rights groups are challenging
them on constitutional grounds as well. It's a good law.
Prostitution and alcohol have to be banned. If not, the youth here will be
lured into doing bad things
Tangerang resident
One of those campaigning for their abolition is Musdah Mulia, head of the
Council on Religious Pluralism. "We would like the government to uphold the
values of democracy," she told me, "and to be firm towards any attempt to
divert from democracy". "There's a lack of understanding in our society over
what constitutes democracy," she explained. "And there's also abuse of regional
autonomy; now a lot of groups at local level have used regional autonomy to
pass laws based on sharia law." Since the fall of the former President
Suharto a decade ago, more and more power has been devolved to local
governments. Campaigners like Mulia say that local laws which ban alcohol on
religious grounds, or target women in this way, contravene Indonesia's
constitution. Local support But the problem for people like Mulia is that
these kind of rules are proving popular. In the streets of Tangerang, most of
those out eating supper at the roadside stalls were broadly positive. "I
agree with it," one man said. "I'm a Muslim. Alcohol and prostitution damages
the society and the religion." His neighbour agreed. "It's a good law," she
said. "Prostitution and alcohol have to be banned. If not, the youth here will
be lured into doing bad things. We need to give them a good example."
But another woman thought it was important to educate the police to carry out
the rules fairly. "Sometimes the wrong people get caught, so we need to look at
how the law is enforced," she said. The popularity of these regulations is
adding to the government's headache. It has been under growing pressure to take
a stand - to decide once and for all whether local authorities are
over-stepping their powers. But the country's leaders have so far been
reluctant to get involved. And while they look the other way, Indonesia's rules
are changing.
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SEE ALSO
Indonesian fears over porn law
25 May 06 | Asia-Pacific
Aceh wary over new Sharia police
08 Dec 06 | Asia-Pacific
Spotlight on Indonesia's Islamic schools
03 Sep 03 | Asia-Pacific
Indonesia's Muslim militants
08 Aug 03 | Asia-Pacific
Country profile: Indonesia
09 May 07 | Country profiles
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