North Aceh hits mixed sexes hard
Under the region's Sharia Law, the area has banned unmarried men and women from sharing motorcyclesA local government in Indonesia's Aceh province has banned unmarried men and women from riding together on motorcycles because it "could lead to sinful acts" clearly against Islamic Sharia law.
The ban is expected to affect more than 500,000 people.
“Unmarried people sitting closely together on a motorcycle is clearly against Islamic Sharia as it could lead to sinful acts,” Fauzan Hamzah, a member of the regency’s legislature, told Agence France-Presse. “We will make efforts so that deeds which can lead to sin are eliminated gradually in North Aceh district.
Aceh is the only province in the Muslim-dominated Indonesia that governs by Sharia law as part of a 2005 peace agreement, which ended a three-decade long separatist movement.
It’s not yet known how unmarried couples in North Aceh will be punished if caught riding a motorbike together. Hamzah listed a number of punishments, ranging from a formal reprimand to fines and banishing people from their villages, all of which could be applied to the new regulations.
The ban is scheduled to take effect in one year.
Only two years ago, Aceh introduced a controversial new law banning women from sitting on motorcycles with their legs apart because it "provokes the male drivers".
Source: International Business Times
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
