Aceh, Indonesia: Adulterers will be stoned to death

Bad news for married adulterers: The Aceh Regional House of Representatives has passed a law that imposes a death penalty for married adulterers. The guilty persons will be stoned to death.

Bad news too for unmarried adulterers and homosexuals: Aceh’s new law provides a punishment of 100 lashes with a cane and a fine of 100 grams of pure gold for guilty individuals.

Aceh is an autonomous province of Indonesia which enforces the Sharia law. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-dominated country in the world.

The RAB Experience reviews the controversial new law and identifies its relevant provisions:

Stoning is the sentence for those that knowingly commit adultery. However, this only applies to those who are married and knowingly commit this offense. For those that are unmarried, the punishment is up to 100 lashings with a cane. One of the accepted forms of evidence of adultery is a sworn oath that requires the oath maker to acknowledge that if they lie they will be damned in both this life and the afterlife.

Funnily enough, not that there is anything funny about this Qanun (Regional Regulation), a woman who is pregnant outside of wedlock cannot be accused of adultery without sufficient evidence of her crime.

The Qanun also deals with rape. Rape includes anal and oral sex. However, somewhat disturbingly the definition implies that rape cannot occur between a husband and a wife.

The other interesting aspect of this Qanun is that it provides for criminal fines to be paid in grams of pure gold. For example, if you get caught in the act of Liwath or Musahaqah, then the penalty is 100 lashes of the cane and a fine of 1000 grams of pure gold or 100 months in jail.

binsar pakpahan believes the “irrational” law is not suitable for Indonesia:

I found this news very disturbing. In my opinion this particular implementation of the law is more in of a political strategy of people who are going to be out of the legislation position to gain more popularity for the sake of their future stake in their own political parties. This also brings another negative story for the majority of Indonesian moderate Muslim. I know most of my Muslim friends, if not all, will find this law stupid, irrational, badly enforced, and totally not suitable for Indonesia.

Twitter reactions from Jakarta, Indonesia:

tobybudiartono: I wont b goin to Aceh anytime soon now!
tommysiahaan: Why r we goin bckwards??
dHeeLicious: I think it's against the human rights
ohhvi: Aceh's stoning and caning bill: I thought this only exists in my old testament bible. Pinch, am I in 2009 or 2000 Before Christ?
yogibeau: BOOOOO! i swear to God i never wana go there
erdina: And things become much scarier in Aceh
erdina: I keep on shaking my head in disbelief whenever I read abt Aceh's plan to pass the stoning bill. How did we let this happen?

Rights groups also criticized the new law as “cruel and degrading to humanity.”

12 comments

  • Abdu

    simple, stay with your wife only! you will be safe

    • Leela

      It’s the principle behind the thing. It’s true that if there’s no adultery then there’s nothing to worry about, but adulterers are human beings too. They shouldn’t be executed in the street like dogs. And then the mode of execution…stoning is not a fast death.

      • Abdu

        Human beings have degnity , if a married person deceided to cheat on his partener then what is the differance between the dogs and that person?

      • anything that is harsh…..it not right!!! have they ever wondered about the cruelciality behind it? I dont think so, but your right…it is the person who is doing the wong and it is also the person who is judgmenting them…but what ever it THEY HAVE GOT TO STOP!!!

  • Joe Green

    Stay with your wife and you have nothing to be fear.I wish they took adultery more serious, here in the US. It seems like that here, if it feels good, do it.
    Society will make some excuse for you .

  • The Law “to be stoned till person dies”is indeed barbaric and should be replaced by some other strict rules like being banned from the society or curtailment of rights as Citizen for perform some social work benefitting the poor in the society etc.
    But then look at the other side too:a married woman fully trusts her husband and so imagine what would be her condition if he does the rape acts like anal sex, or oral sex or say group sex etc;the acts can be horrible for the woman.
    Why perform adultery after marriage?. If the partners dont match they can divorce and after a period of waiting can remarry.
    The law for unmarried persons should be okay as that prevents person to be a rapist, or one that finds flirting and casual sex better than marriage- meaning persons with bad intentions.
    In modern world when population is increasing in leaps and bound the social injustices are equally increasing in the same way; causes being illiteracy,poverty,injustices within the society and ofcourse bad Governance by the Government.
    So when you think in light of protection of women(wife,daughter,sister and other relations) it would be better to have such caning and fine by huge payment– the stoning was required during earlier uncivilized days but now civilisations is gradually catching up though there are serial killers,rapists,hard core robbers and dont forget the spoilt brats supported by the Poliiticians that enable these criminals to go scott-free often.

  • Medan is only an hour’s flight away – they’ll just have to have their fun there instead.

  • Bravo to the people in authority in Aceh. It is good to learn that there are muslims who are ready to uphold the laws of the Supreme creator and law maker despite stupid comdemnations by irresponsible secular muslims and non muslims alike. Why should faithful husbands and wives be worried about the new law. Islam is here not only to solve problems but to prevent them from occuring. Look at the way the secular man made democratic laws have turned the world into. From killing of innocent lives to perpectual sexual abuse of women all in the name of the so “called democracy and freedom”. If the people that are opposing the new plan are sincerely concerned of human rights then let them open their eyes widely to the human right abuse that is coming from their so called democratic powers such as America, Isreal, Russia France. Please please keep your mouths shut and say nothing about the new law. In your very democratic rule, majority carries the vote.

    • Majority Rules. Tell the 6 million jews that were killed during world war II by the Germans that. We all need to stand up when we see something is wrong. These throw backs from the 17th century, in Aceh, are wrong. Everyone has been telling me that Islam is the religion of peace and understanding. Prove it to me!!!!!!

  • Abdu

    Ask the over 50% Americans who would like to know who their father’s are!…

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