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Shariah policemen speak to a student who was caught playing games in an Internet cafe during school hours in Banda Aceh, in Indonesia's Aceh province. The boy was given a morality lecture and forced onto a shariah patrol truck to be taken back to school, where he faced humiliation from other students and teachers.
Female members of the Wilayatul Hisbah shariah police get instructions from a commander before going on patrol in Banda Aceh.
Photos and text by Damir Sagolj, Reuters — Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, but nowhere is the faith more strictly interpreted than in Aceh, sometimes referred to as the "verandah of Mecca" because it was one of the first parts of the archipelago to turn to Islam.
Aceh, which was hit by a tsunami in 2004 that killed an estimated 130,000 in the province, is Indonesia's only district to have implemented shariah, or Islamic law. This is something that occurred for complicated reasons, some of which go well beyond the religion itself and have more to do with Acehnese tradition, the long struggle for independence and conflict with outside forces, Jakarta included.
Hard-line Indonesian police shave punks' mohawks in 'moral rehab' drive
Formed to implement shariah law, Wilayatul Hisbah, which is the official name for the shariah police, is spread across the province working in small units, patrolling and conducting occasional raids. The units are made up of different kinds of people – some of them claim to be on a mission, others just needed a job.
The set of laws in force in Aceh is just a smaller part of what would be full shariah implementation, covering all levels of society. At present, the shariah package in Aceh targets only those violating the Muslim dress code, illicit behavior, drinking and gambling.
Shariah punishment for Indonesia coffee shop gambler
Dating can be particularly hazardous — under shariah, it is a crime for an unmarried man and woman who are not related by blood to associate in an "isolated place." As a consequence, it has become increasingly popular for young couples to get to know each other using social networks like Facebook. Read more at Reuters' Photographers Blog.
A shariah policeman shows dominoes found in the bag of a boy who ran away after a patrol spotted him and a friend during school hours in Banda Aceh. The dominoes were thrown in the mud and police continued their patrol after unsuccessfully chasing the boys.
A young couple chat in the shade on a beach near Banda Aceh. Under shariah, it is a crime for an unmarried man and woman who are not related by blood to associate in an "isolated place."
Members of the Wilayatul Hisbah speak to a young couple after they were caught sitting too close to each other in an isolated place in Banda Aceh.
Winda Wahyuni kisses the hand of her husband, Ahmad Yasir Saputra, after they got married in a mosque in Banda Aceh. Winda and Ahmad Yasir, who met a year ago on Facebook, married in a religious ceremony in a local mosque. Dating on social networks has become increasingly popular in Aceh due to the restrictions that shariah places on unmarried men and women.
Winda Wahyuni, center, and husband Ahmad Yasir Saputra, left, pray during their wedding ceremony in a mosque in Banda Aceh.
A man is seen from inside a house in Banda Aceh that was destroyed in the 2004 tsunami. Some residents near the sea believe the tsunami that killed an estimated 130,000 people in Aceh province was a punishment from God for those who broke Islamic laws, and they fear it might happen again.
Boys and girls meet at a cultural event in Banda Aceh.
Muslim worshippers gather for an evening collective prayer outside a mosque in Banda Aceh.
Acehnese Protestants attend an early Christmas mass in their church in Banda Aceh. Although it is complicated to build a new Christian church in the predominantly Muslim province, Father Amrin Sihotang of HKBP Protestant church said his community has no problems with strict Islamic laws as long "as we follow the rules."
Young people relax at Ulhee Ilhue beach in Banda Aceh. The gates of the beach close every day at 6 p.m. to prevent people violating Islamic law. Asked about shariah police who often patrol the beach looking for violators, one of the youngsters said, "I don't like them. They simply disturb me."
Female members of the Wilayatul Hisbah enter a public park as they search for those violating shariah law during their patrol in Banda Aceh.
A female member of the Wilayatul Hisbah insists on inspecting the clothes of girls relaxing in a park in Banda Aceh.
Members of a punk band named Trotoar Chaos are shown in Banda Aceh. Although they say they have been punished and had their hair shaved in the past by police, the young musicians remain defiant and insist they will stay in Aceh. One of them commented on a 2011 incident in which he was punished after being caught among 65 other punks at a concert: "There is a big change after that. Now I want to fight more."
A member of the Wilayatul Hisbah tells a man he should stop eating his lunch and go to the mosque just before Friday prayers in Banda Aceh. Besides patrolling with their male colleagues every day looking for those who violate shariah, female police officers drive through the town just before Friday prayers urging businesses to close and demanding that men go to pray.
A Muslim family enjoys nice weather on a beach in Banda Aceh.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Images taken between Dec. 6 and Dec. 11, 2012, and made available to NBC News today.
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This kind of religious oppression is just plain crazy. Eventually a revolution of some kind, whether it be a social one or an armed one, will free people of conscience from the dictates of religious law.
Freedom is contagious and is the natural instinct of the human heart. Islam knows this and fears it more than anything else.
You are right! Changes are going to come to these fast backward marching Muslim places.
Indonesia had one of the most tolerant followers of Islam. They proud of their Hindu heritage.
Saudis and other Sunni rulers and sheikhs made themselves rich by manipulating high oil prices using Iraqi wars as an excuse.
First, they outsourced their dirty jobs of removing Saddam to NATO forces.
Saudi Arabia funded mosques, which preach their versions of Salaffi and Wahhabi Sunni Islam all over the world.
Most of these mosques have turned into hate preaching and killer training centers.
This has affected Indonesia to some extent. Bali bombings is one example. This Aceh case is another one!
However, followers of Islam will have to reform with times or else Islam will become history like the most violent communist ideology!
Time and tide wait for none!
Mike-364920 Actually this BS came as a result of internal political struggle from these religious zealots in the region, as a fruit of their victory, they are now allowed to run Banda Aceh with their own Sharia law. This is a very fundamentalist region and their achievement is a step backwards among Indonesia's moderate version of Islam. Strangely most people support this crap, I guess some people like to be oppressed.
actually, shariah law is being implemented more often and in more places. I studied Islam as one of my primary focal points in college, and years later, ran into my history professor, who was an Egyptologist. He asked my opinion of where I thought Islam was headed, and I think it is in full reverse toward the 8th Century. It was not fully formed during Mohammed's lifetime, and many rules came later. IF it is moving forward, it is at least 600 years behind the rest of the world. I think we will see an even greater separation as time goes by, however.
Islam is fast marching to some dirtiest garbage dumps and then history at this pace of backward march!
Hells to the naw Shariah Law.
Except there's nothing new about it. It's been oppressing (and murdering!) Muslims and Non-muslims alike for the past 13 centuries. Not always enforced, no, but always hanging overhead, like a sword, just waiting for the most fervent, fanatical, "pure" Muslims to impose it.
Egypt is the latest country that soon be enjoying shariah law, morality police, burkas, and all the rest.
I loved the picture of the guy having lunch. He looked a little belligerent...... like my dog when you get to close to her food bowl! Obviously, Shariah Law blows but i did get a certain nostalgic longing when i saw the picture of the woman kissing her husbands hand during the marriage ceremony. Women who obey. Gosh, i wonder what THAT was like!
"At present, the shariah package in Aceh targets only those violating the Muslim dress code, illicit behavior, drinking and gambling."
These Islamic religious police can be crazy.
By the by, if we permit other religious police also, they would be equally worse! Of course, many like I don't believe in too much of any religion!
Here Saudi Arabian religious police is one of the worst. In the name of Sharia Laws and its implemention, they can do most atorcious acts.
Sunni Muslim youths gang raped a Shiite female. Saudi religious police punished the Shiite female!
Let me repost on House of Saud.
House of Saud, a strict Wahhabi, is not even tolerating Prophet Mohammad’s heritage places. House of Saud consists of a megalomaniac, despotic and bigoted ruler and highly corrupt, despotic, bigoted seventh century mindset 5000 princes and princesses. These maniacs of all kinds have assembled huge battalions of girls and women from all over the world.
House of Saud are the real culprits in the fast backward march of Islam through their Sunni one-way traffic hating and killing fronts like Salaffi, Wahhabi, MB, al Qaida, Taliban and other ones operating under different labels in different nation.
In Mecca, the house of one of the wives of Mohammed was demolished and converted into public lavatories. Mohammed’s birth place may vanish with plans to have skyscrapers, mega shopping malls and a Grand mosque!
In Medina, ten years ago a mosque of grandson of Mohammed was dynamited and the religious police were celebrating on this. There are plans to pull down three seventh century mosques in future.
Has the world seen crazier religous place and nuts as in Saudi Arabia?
If Muslims follow the Saudi Arabian pattern of Islam in 21st century, are they like those in Aceh not crazier?
Jonathan. We have let you "repost" about the "House of Saud" maybe one hundred times? What type of acceptance or affirmation can we give you so you can move on to something else?
RandogM: You may know that British invented that international liabilities and curses on earth, House of Saud and the US, British and allies have kept them on the map!
Still many don't get the damages House of Saud has done.
Many in the US, British, France, Germany and other nations want to jump as House of Saud and other Sunni rulers direct in Syria and Iran.
I do wonder without the oil wealth of Saudi would we have so many religious fanatics in the world, understand Saudi supports and builds schools and their version of Islamic temples. Without that wealth none of that would be possible.
As Americans we love indonsian people.We know they silat masters will destroy the crazy people there.
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Coming soon to a court near you if the UN has any say about it!
Maybe not so quickly now after a dozen or so U.N. vaccination workers in Pakistan were murdered by the Islamic nutbags there for being "spies" and "western agents of genocide" (supposedly a plot to make Muslim men there impotent).
Strikingly similar results to the the communist Chinese "thought police". I'm sad for the moderate Indonesians who are suffering through this tyranny.
The danger of any religion gaining secular power is a problem when they can force all to obey their version of religious beliefs. We should thank the fathers of our country when they wrote the Constitution banning religion from being part of the govt. What we have is messy but isnt that better than having religious fanatics forcing their beliefs on every American?