Shariah in Aceh

Human Rights Watch has released a report critical of the application of Shari'ah law in Aceh, Indonesia. Policing Morality: Abuses in the Application of Sharia in Aceh, Indonesia alleges that citizen enforcement of the law has resulted in discrimination, abuse, and even torture. Of course, Islamic fundamentalism has been a controversial topic in Indonesia for quite some time. According to BBC, the head of the Sharia law department in Aceh, Rusydi Ali Muhammad, seemed to acknowledge some shortcomings, but also complained about the one-sidedness of the report. The real question is whether Aceh is an isolated phenomenon, or a harbinger of things to come for the rest of the archipelago...