siwah.com

Tag: sharia

  • A Fork in the Road for Aceh

    Banda Aceh — Western diplomats worry about Islamic extremism in Aceh, a province in Indonesia on the northern tip of Sumatra. Aceh could prove vulnerable to Islamists unless commitments in the 2005 peace agreement between Jakarta and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) are fulfilled. Delivering a peace dividend will keep Aceh on the path of moderation.

    Aceh has suffered. Tens of thousands died during Aceh’s 40 year war for independence. Another 200,000 perished when a tsunami swept through Aceh on December 26, 2004.

    The tsunami catalyzed negotiations, which culminated in the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The accord established power sharing between Jakarta and Aceh’s provincial government.

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  • Scenarios for Aceh’s turning point

    The latest regulation to apply sharia law in Aceh to all residents — including non-Muslims — has created international headlines.

    Some agencies and communities perhaps wonder whether this is still the same region they helped in the tsunami tragedy almost a decade ago, and whether it was a mistake to help such a region that is now keen to push religious law, rather than clean and efficient governance.
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