Your aid dollar at work in Indonesia.
Banda Aceh is the most devoutly Islamic of Indonesia’s provinces. In recent years it has introduced strict new Sharia-based laws, including a prescription for the stoning of adulterers — which has not yet been implemented.
00.00 They are getting ready for another trip through the city, the Sharia police in Banda Aceh in Indonesia…
00.09 …armed only with morality and Islamic Sharia law, they begin their work.
00.15 The police unit, Wilayatul Hisbah, have as their goal to spot women with trousers that are too tight, unmarried
couples who are too close or…
00.25 …sinners who have enjoyed alcohol or a game of poker. Sharia law was introduced in 2002 and has put severe restrictions on the citizens.
00.37 And it does not take long before the Sharia police detect suspicious behavior. Down by the waterfront a young couple is asked to explain why they are sitting so close.
00.49 We proceed without aggressive behavior so that these criminals will understand the intention of our patrolling.
00.57 …Marsouk tells us. He is the chief of the Sharia police in Aceh.
01.00 These two young girls are stopped because of their choice of trousers. The two girls leave in shame after being addressed by the Sharia police.
01.11 Opinions about these laws are divided in the city.
01.16 This is a crime against human rights, but the laws introduced in Aceh, such as not wearing too tight clothes, are still sensible, says the student Ramadan al-Fiyad.
01.29 I think that the implementation of Sharia law should continue, says this woman, Surayah Devi, another citizen from Aceh.
01.38 In September the government decided to implement a decision under the law which meant that adultery can now be punished with stoning to death.
01.47 The decision has created strong reactions, and the result is that the initiative is now up for an evaluation before being fully implemented.