Nine churches and six Buddhist temples shut down sharia-ruled Aceh
creeping
All those who donated to the tsunami relief efforts a few years ago may have helped usher in the strict implementation of sharia law in Aceh. via INDONESIA Nine churches and six Buddhist temples shut down under Islamist pressure in Banda Aceh – Asia News.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Authorities in Banda
Aceh, capital of the Aceh Special Territory, ordered the closure of nine
Christian home churches and six Buddhist prayer houses for alleged
irregularities in their building permit. According to Deputy Mayor
Hajjah Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal, the buildings were illegal because they
lacked the right permit. Under the law, private homes cannot be used
“for religious ceremonies or functions.”
“Aceh is a special territory that enforces
Sharia,” she said and home churches violate the law because they lack
the appropriate building permit (Izin Mendirikan Bangunan in Indonesian).
The issue is more complicated in the case
of Christian places of worship because the latter require the agreement
of a certain number of local residents and that of the local interfaith
dialogue group. Under the pressure of radical Muslim groups, permits are
often denied.
Deputy Mayor Djamal also wants the
authorities to monitor the activities of Buddhist and Christian
communities to ensure that their services are performed in the right
places. This is necessary, in her view, to “maintain interfaith
harmony.” At the same time, “we shall not issue any new permit for other
churches or vihara (Buddhist temples).”
Local Muslim extremists welcomed the
decision. Yusuf Al-Qardhawy, head of the Aceh branch of the Islamic
Defence Front (FPI), called on other jurisdictions to follow Banda Aceh,
enforce Islamic law and stop any non-Muslim worship activity that is
not approved.
He said the situation would be monitored
constantly to ensure that rules are respected. Local sources note that
the municipal order shutting Buddhist and Christian places of worship
follows a complaint filed by Islamists concerning an “improper” use of
buildings.
The province of Aceh, the westernmost of
the archipelago of Indonesia, is also the only one which is subject to
Sharia. Compliance is ensured by the ‘morality police,’ a special force
that punishes violations in dress and behaviour.
In the past, a relative calm and religious
harmony between the Muslim majority and “foreigners,” members of
various non-Islamic faiths, prevailed under the leadership of former
guerrilla leader, now Governor Irwandy Yusuf.
More recently the situation has changed
however. Attacks against religious minorities have started and
fundamentalists has gained more power and freedom of action.
In last April’s elections, Zaini Abdullah, a former guerrilla leader who lived in exile in Sweden, won promising to fight corruption and impose Islamic law.
The strict application of Sharia was one of the conditions separatist rebels imposed on Jakarta to end their armed struggle.
As a result of a recent spike in sectarian tensions, the area saw violence and attacks against Christian communities, which led to the closure of places of worship on the order of the authorities claiming that they lacked proper building permits.
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