Aceh Women and Caning: Banda Aceh, Sumatra

Respecting the laws of any country you travel in is paramount. Having said that, I am a tad concerned about the implementation of Sharia Law on women in Aceh.

Although I agree that Sharia Law [in principle] has its function in Muslim society, I disagree with the practice of women being caned for reasons beyond their human feeling control. When I read the article in Yesterday’s Jakarta Post, I must admit I felt sorry for the women and her indiscretion. But law is law. Here’s the article so you can judge for yourself:

Aceh Women Want Caning Review
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh

Clad in a white dress and scarf, 20-year-old Liza Wahyuni binti Sulaiman kneeled on the platform. Two wilatatulhisbah, or religious police officers, stood next to her. She was about to be caned, and in public.

The Acehnese woman bowed her head. Her eyes were reddened from weeping. She sobbed even louder when spectators — from the elderly to children — shouted profanities.

Liza was whipped three times after being caught with her lover, Syahrurriza, 21, who had earlier received five strokes of the cane.

The caning penalty is not particularly extraordinary in Aceh because the province has been meting out the punishment since 2005 to those found guilty of “immoral” acts — khalwat (illicit sex), khamar (drinking) and judi (gambling) — three crimes which have been passed into law following the implementation of sharia in Aceh.

A women’s advocacy commission said that based on its special documentary report, many women, especially public caning victims, have demanded a review of the punishment.

The report says that the punishment is wrong for the offenses, which are “human nature”.

“Moreover, the punishment has a wide impact, not only on the offender but also on other family members,” Samsidar of the Aceh chapter National Commission on Violence Against Women told The Jakarta Post.

She gave the example of a housewife who was driven to gamble by financial problems, only to be caught and caned five times.

The punishment caused her great shame, Samsidar said, and she was ostracized by her family and community, while her children were treated badly by their friends and teachers.

“People do not care how serious the reasons are for (the crime that leads to) being whipped. I’ve been branded a gambler, a criminal and a sinner,” another woman who had been lashed for gambling told the report.

The report recommended that if the local government was going to continue the punishment, it should be closed to the public.

“Most of the women we interviewed recommended that option,” said Samsidar.

In response to the recommendation, Islamic Sharia Office head Aliasa’ Abubakar said that the caning in Aceh was much more lenient than that meted out in Singapore.

“The cane used in Aceh is much smaller than the 1-inch in diameter cane used in Singapore, and we don’t cane people until they bleed here,” said Aliasa’.

He argued that the punishment was more humane than prison sentences. “Which is better, a day receiving a few lashes and then released, or a longer prison sentence, or even life?” asked Aliasa’.

According to Alaisa’, the punishment will cause pain and deter people from committing crimes. “A punishment is meant to curb crime,” he said.

Aceh’s newly elected deputy governor Muhammad Nazar, who will officially be installed next month, said his office would discuss the issue before reviewing the law.

“We should discuss the matter with traditional and other clerics first,” Nazar told the Post.