I did not know caning as a punishment was part of sharia law. I guess we can add another form of physical torture to the list of things to do if I am a Muslim in Indonesia. Caning has been a staple of many cultures, particularly Islam, but Amnesty International complained not because of Islam, but because of the violation of the UN Convention Against Torture. Islam complained anyway, with clerics in Banda Aceh Province dismissing the criticism, saying it originated from an ignorance of Shariah law, Islam and Indonesia.
Of course, it is always that non-Muslims misunderstand Islam, who take out of context the peaceful teachings of Muhammad and are not "multicultural" enough to understand the culture and society.
Oddly, if one just reads the Qur'an it becomes painfully obvious who Muhammad was and what Islam stands for.
From the Jakarta Globe May 23 by Nurdin Hasan
Aceh Clerics Hit Back at Amnesty International’s Statement
A Sharia law official whips a man convicted of unlawful
contact between unmarried man and woman with a rattan
stick during a public caning in Jantho, Aceh province,
Indonesia, Friday, April 8, 2011. A version of Islamic
law was introduced in the province in 2001 as part of
negotiations to end the 29-year war between separatist
rebels and the military. The law bans gambling, drinking
alcohol and makes it compulsory for women to wear
headscarves. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)
Banda Aceh. Acehnese clerics have criticized Amnesty International's call for the Indonesian government to repeal a bylaw that allowed caning, arguing that the practice did not violate any regulation in the world.
In a statement released on Sunday, Amnesty said that caning violated the UN Convention Against Torture, which Indonesia ratified in 1998, and urged central government to review the bylaw to conform with international and national human rights laws and standards.
Clerics in Banda Aceh, however, dismissed the criticism, saying it originated from an ignorance of Shariah law, Islam and Indonesia.
“It is their right to criticize,” said Teungku Muslim Ibrahim, head of the province’s Consultative Assembly of Ulema (MPU) and a professor at Aceh's State Islamic Institute (IAIN). “But as long as they do not seek to understand Shariah, they will continue to criticize something they know little about.”
Oh we know about sharia law, Ibrahim, we know all too well. Your coreligionists have seen to that.
He said the regulation governing caning as judicial punishment was in line with the country’s laws and did “not violate any regulation in the world.”
Caning adopted partial Shariah Law in 2001 as part of an autonomy package aimed at quelling separatist sentiment. Caning carried out there is mainly aimed at causing shame rather than injury. It is also used as a mandatory punishment for certain crimes in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
“People criticize because they don't understand. The rules in Aceh are clear,” Muslim said. “The Koran says that those who believe in Allah and Rasulullah Muhammad Sallalaahu Alaihi Wassalam must not abide by laws other than the ones determined by their God."
Anything else in the Qur'an we should know about, say 9-29 or 9-111, maybe 4-34, 5-38, 3-28 or even 47-4?
He added that caning did not violate the UN Convention on Human Rights because the convention respected compromises made by a community, big or small.
“Moreover, the Islamic community in Aceh is a majority. Caning is only applied to Islamic followers,” Muslim said, adding that regulations applied to the size and length of the cane as well as the distance between the Shariah violator and punishment executor.
Nothing cruel and unusual in Islamic punishment I see.
Read it all
Of course, it is always that non-Muslims misunderstand Islam, who take out of context the peaceful teachings of Muhammad and are not "multicultural" enough to understand the culture and society.
Oddly, if one just reads the Qur'an it becomes painfully obvious who Muhammad was and what Islam stands for.
From the Jakarta Globe May 23 by Nurdin Hasan
Aceh Clerics Hit Back at Amnesty International’s Statement
A Sharia law official whips a man convicted of unlawful
contact between unmarried man and woman with a rattan
stick during a public caning in Jantho, Aceh province,
Indonesia, Friday, April 8, 2011. A version of Islamic
law was introduced in the province in 2001 as part of
negotiations to end the 29-year war between separatist
rebels and the military. The law bans gambling, drinking
alcohol and makes it compulsory for women to wear
headscarves. (AP Photo/Heri Juanda)
Banda Aceh. Acehnese clerics have criticized Amnesty International's call for the Indonesian government to repeal a bylaw that allowed caning, arguing that the practice did not violate any regulation in the world.
In a statement released on Sunday, Amnesty said that caning violated the UN Convention Against Torture, which Indonesia ratified in 1998, and urged central government to review the bylaw to conform with international and national human rights laws and standards.
Clerics in Banda Aceh, however, dismissed the criticism, saying it originated from an ignorance of Shariah law, Islam and Indonesia.
“It is their right to criticize,” said Teungku Muslim Ibrahim, head of the province’s Consultative Assembly of Ulema (MPU) and a professor at Aceh's State Islamic Institute (IAIN). “But as long as they do not seek to understand Shariah, they will continue to criticize something they know little about.”
Oh we know about sharia law, Ibrahim, we know all too well. Your coreligionists have seen to that.
He said the regulation governing caning as judicial punishment was in line with the country’s laws and did “not violate any regulation in the world.”
Caning adopted partial Shariah Law in 2001 as part of an autonomy package aimed at quelling separatist sentiment. Caning carried out there is mainly aimed at causing shame rather than injury. It is also used as a mandatory punishment for certain crimes in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
“People criticize because they don't understand. The rules in Aceh are clear,” Muslim said. “The Koran says that those who believe in Allah and Rasulullah Muhammad Sallalaahu Alaihi Wassalam must not abide by laws other than the ones determined by their God."
Anything else in the Qur'an we should know about, say 9-29 or 9-111, maybe 4-34, 5-38, 3-28 or even 47-4?
He added that caning did not violate the UN Convention on Human Rights because the convention respected compromises made by a community, big or small.
“Moreover, the Islamic community in Aceh is a majority. Caning is only applied to Islamic followers,” Muslim said, adding that regulations applied to the size and length of the cane as well as the distance between the Shariah violator and punishment executor.
Nothing cruel and unusual in Islamic punishment I see.
Read it all
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