This article has been published by the Jakarta Post today. Here is the original
version:
Aceh in Wonderland
Aguswandi
Is Aceh being turned into the world of Alice in Wonderland? There is a British
novel called Alice in Wonderland. A young girl called Alice, falls into a hole
and enters a world full of confusion and absurdity. Everything is turned upside
down and Alice is trapped to deal with too many pictures of small things,
unable to focus on the world beyond. Are the Acehnese to be driven to this kind
of existence?
Last week in Aceh several poor Acehnese, accused and found guilty of gambling
under sharia (Islamic) law, were publicly flogged with canes by a government
appointed executor. It is the first application of sharia since its imposition
several years ago.
This is an absurdity; never in the history of Aceh has Islam been exploited in
this way, simply to punish the poor. In the past Islam was the foundation and
inspiration for the Acehnese to defend themselves against colonialism, social
injustice and oppression.
Islamic values informed the fight against Portuguese oppression, which stopped
their colonial expansion in Asia, and galvanised the Acehnese to defend
themselves against Dutch invasion. The resilience of the Acehnese effectively
bankrupted and thus defeated the Dutch. These values went on to imbue many
Acehnese with the will to oppose injustice in the post colonial era. It was non
conservative values of Islam, a desire for equality and justice that motivated
the Acehnese to seek freedom from any and all attempts to conquer them.
But now we have some Ulamas empowered by the government using religious law to
punish some people who commit petty crime, such as gambling, and enforcing
disproportionate penalties.
Gambling, if it is a crime at least only harms the gamblers, at worst their
families. The conflict region of Aceh is full of groups and individuals harming
the wider society, committing crimes that perpetuate conflict and exploitation.
The crimes of the powerful; the killing of innocent civilians or involvement in
large scale corruption seem to elicit a different response than the crimes of
poor. When the rich and powerful seem immune from judicial action, even under
sharia law, while the poor Acehnese are subject to all the extremes of this
religious law it only serves to institutionalise inequality.
There was a question posed on the internet, circulated by some young Acehnese,
asking jokingly how many times Abdullah Puted would be caned if this law were
to be applied to him. How about if this law was applied to those who are
killing Acehnese civilians? No, it will not apply to them said Sharia
authority. In fact it will not even be applied to the prosecutor who is making
the case in this first trial of Sharia, who had admitted he received money as a
bribe, from the defendant.
Indeed it is only for the poor, the powerless amongst the Acehnese to bear the
brunt of this newly emboldened Sharia authority. The other weak Acehnese
targeted are women, the most vulnerable groups of society in Aceh right now.
The police sharia, the government discussion about women, instead of being
about education and equal rights for women, is about clothes, the headscarf,
the way they wear things. There have occasionally been sweeps by sharia police
to check whether Acehnese women are wearing their clothes according to sharia.
There is a story that recently at a meeting of local government officials,
woman was made to sit at the back of the room. All this comes at a time when
the women of Aceh are calling for equality, access to education and a voice in
the reconstruction.
This is an insult to Acehnese women who in the past have asserted their will to
play a significant role in society. To cite a few obvious examples, three women
have ruled the kingdom of Aceh, there have been several female admirals and
high ranking members of armed forces. Most famously Cut Nyak Dhien but there
was also Cut Meutia, Pocut Baren and others. There has been no such discussion
about dress codes in the past, yet both Islam and womens involvement in the
wider society have managed to flourish.
By emphasising conservative aspects of religion and strict adherence to sharia
law, some clerical leaders seek to blinker the Acehnese from wider problems in
the region. They are exploiting the religious conviction of many Acehnese to
manipulate them. In truth they are acting as an obstacle to change by
distracting the locals from the main problem of injustice. This orchestrated
distraction is perfect for a government which seeks to neutralize progressive
voices in Aceh. This is a strategic alliance of the government with
conservative religious to pacify the Acehnese.
If there is somebody most responsible for this, it is Abdurahman Wahid. It was
Gus Dur the most liberal of Islamic thinkers who kick-started this new Sharia
revolution. He decided to impose sharia law in order to show the political will
of the government to solve the problem of Aceh. Rather than responding to
Acehnese demands for a political solution to the conflict and social justice,
this was a crude attempt to co-opt and empower a conservative religious elite
to assist with the subjugation of the Acehnese desire for justice.
This use of religion as political tool to pacify the population or as political
bribery is a dangerous move. It is like setting a time bomb. When it goes off
it could unleash an era of harsh, intolerant and strengthen the forces of
conservative Islam. It is the last thing everybody wants to happen in Aceh.
The writer is an Acehnese human rights advocate working for TAPOL, the
Indonesia Human Rights Campaign in London and Kontras in Jakarta. He can be
reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Aguswandi, a: 111 Northwood Road, CR7 8HW, UK, e: [EMAIL PROTECTED], p:
07947567449
Best Regards
Jopi Peranginangin
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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