ICC NOTE: In an unprecedented move, the conservative Islamic region of Indonesia known as Aceh has publicly caned a Christian woman for selling Alcohol. Aceh is unique as it is the only region of the Muslim nation which adheres to Sharia Law after a peace agreement was reached by the Indonesian government and Islamic separatist groups in Aceh. Up until now, only Muslims were charged and tried under Sharia. According to its by-laws acts such as adultery, consumption or alcohol, gambling, and homosexual acts are considered offenses punishable under the Sharia. Such is the case for a 60 year old Christian woman who has reportedly been caned for selling alcohol. Whether one would consider her act to be a vice is a separate discussion as the overall fact a non-Muslim was tried, convicted, and punished under a law which is only considered to be used for practicing Muslims, creates a future precedent that could spell disaster for Indonesia.
04/13/2016 Aceh, Indonesia (Time) – In an unprecedented use of Shari‘a on a non-Muslim in Indonesia, a Christian woman in the conservative Aceh province has reportedly been caned for selling alcohol.
The 60-year-old woman was caned 30 times in the presence of hundreds of onlookers on Tuesday, an official told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Aceh is one of the most conservative provinces of Muslim-majority Indonesia, and the only part of the country that enforces sharia law for crimes like adultery, consumption of alcohol and homosexuality. Two days earlier, a pair of German tourists were reportedly reprimanded by local authorities and let off with a warning for wearing bikinis at one of the province’s beaches.
A Muslim couple accused of adultery received 100 lashes along with the Christian woman on Tuesday.
Although the religious law was previously only applicable to Muslims, an amendment took effect last year extended its reach to practitioners of other religions in particular cases, according to an official from the Central Aceh prosecutor’s office.
“This is the first case of a non-Muslim being punished under Islamic criminal bylaw,” the official, Lili Suparli, told AFP.
Aceh has operated under Shari‘a since 2001, when it was declared partially autonomous in an effort to quell a separatist uprising.
— With reporting by Yenni Kwok
