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Indonesia – Aceh Province Mulls Flogging Homosexuals

Conservative Muslims

The province of Aceh (pronounced Acheh) is at the northern tip of the island of Sumatra, which forms the western flank of Indonesia and borders the Indian Ocean. Sumatra is the 6th largest island in the world. It has 50 million inhabitants and is home to 22% of Indonesia’s total population. Some 87% [...]

Brutal Public Canings Becoming The Norm In Aceh Indonesia

Sharia In Aceh Province

Offenders of crimes such as gambling and adultery have been subjected to severe public canings recently in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. Aceh province, located on the northern part of Sumatra, Indonesia, has long been a conservative Muslim area, and is thought to be the place where Islam was first established [...]

Saudi Arabia – Two Men Jailed And Lashed For Staging “Unethical Parties”

No Future Pardon

A court in Saudi Arabia recently sentenced 2 men to long prison terms and public caning for holding “unethical parties” in their office.  The judge also said that they cannot benefit from any future pardon.

The Indictment

The main accused is said to be the head of the government office in the [...]

Maldives – Teenage Girl Sentenced To Caning For Pre-Marital Sex

Same Act But Different Penalties

An unnamed 16-year-old girl in the Republic of Maldives has recently been sentenced to public caning by the court for engaging in pre-marital sex with a man. Her 29-year-old partner was convicted too. However, the penalty for him was 10 years of imprisonment instead of flogging.

The Maldives is an [...]

Indonesia – Bylaw on Muslim Community Values To Be Implemented Soon In Tasikmalaya In West Java

Headcoverings For All Muslim Women

The city of Tasikmalaya in southwestern Java is finalizing a regulation to enact a bylaw that was passed in 2009. One of the requirements of the regulation is that all Muslim women, whether residents or visitors, will have to wear head coverings. This requirement is based on the bylaw, which [...]

Egypt – Women Turned Table On Morality Police By Caning Them

Salafi Morality Police – No Legitimate Or Legal Authority

Ever wondered what’s happening in Egypt now?  It seems that the lot of the Egyptian women who played a significant frontline role in helping to topple Hosni Mubarak is not going to get any better in the new Egypt. But now a group of Egyptian women have decided [...]

Sharia Law In Aceh – Too Severe Or Too Lax?

Introduction Of Sharia Law In Aceh

Unlike other parts of Indonesia, the province of Aceh has Islamic law added to its penal code. In 2001,some Sharia-inspired byelaws were put into effect in Aceh and a form of Sharia was formally introduced in 2003. Aceh has long been a conservative Muslim area, and is thought to [...]

Malaysia – Double Jeopardy For Gay Muslims?

Pahang And Malacca To Charge Gay Muslims In Sharia Court And Federal Court

Federal law in Malaysia already criminalizes homosexuality.  But now, 2 Malaysian states are considering changing their Islamic law to bring homosexuals before the Sharia court.  That action could well lead to a legal minefield of double jeopardy, since a gay Muslim is [...]

Youth In Malaysia And Indonesia Have Conservative View On Religion

The Survey

Nearly 15% of the world’s population of Muslims live in Malaysia and Indonesia, and about half of them are aged under 25. Living as they do in multiethnic and multireligious countries, these Muslims differ from those in the Middle East in their cultural backgrounds. Will their backgrounds and much opportunity to interact with [...]

Bangladesh – AG Says There Is Room For Fatwas

“There Should Not Be A Wholesale Ban On Fatwas”

The  Bangladesh High Court ruled a decade ago that punishments arising out of fatwas are illegal.  A later ruling declared the issuance of fatwas illegal.  Should Bangladesh lift its ban on fatwas?  That’s the question before the Supreme Court.  Now the Atorney General has argued that there [...]