Friday, September 28, 2007

Aceh deputy governor upbeat on sharia law

by Nani Afrida from The Jakarta Post

Deputy Governor of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Muhammad Nazar is upbeat regarding the implementation of sharia law in Aceh, denying it hindered reconstruction efforts and development in the region. "The ratio of Muslim and non-Muslim investors in Aceh is about 50:50. This underlines the fact that Aceh is open to anybody," said Nazar ... Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, chairman of the Agency of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction for Aceh and Nias (BRR), said many heads of government and donor states and international businesspeople questioned the implementation of sharia law in Aceh when the province has been unable to help solve unemployment and poverty ... Rahmad Djailani, an activist from the Aceh People's Party, said "historically, sharia law involved political bribes from the military during Aceh's period of fierce conflict." Student Riqki Salam said Aceh had implemented a politicized sharia law. "Many things have been forcefully applied in the implementation of sharia law in Aceh."

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