West Aceh District Chief Says Shariah Law Needed or There Will Be Hell to Pay | The Jakarta Globe
Ramli Mansur, a 46-year-old leader of the Aceh Party, whose members are mostly drawn from the ranks of former combatants of the disbanded Free Aceh Movement. Ramli made headlines earlier this year by sponsoring a controversial Islamic bylaw that banned Muslim women from wearing tight pants.
Here is the transcript of the interview published in Jakarta Globe
Ramli Mansur, a 46-year-old leader of the Aceh Party, whose members are mostly drawn from the ranks of former combatants of the disbanded Free Aceh Movement. Ramli made headlines earlier this year by sponsoring a controversial Islamic bylaw that banned Muslim women from wearing tight pants.
Here is the transcript of the interview published in Jakarta Globe
Q : You think if people obey this bylaw then prosperity will automatically follow?
A : This law doesn’t waste public money, it just ordains how they must dress. In fact, it’s cheaper to make a skirt than pants.
It’s also stated in the Koran that if a woman imitates a man [by wearing pants], then she will spend 500 years in solitude before she ever gets to heaven.
The same goes for men. For instance, men are forbidden from wearing earrings. If you do that, you’ve challenged Allah.
It’s my obligation as a leader to help the people so they won’t suffer in the afterlife.
Besides, when women don’t dress according to Shariah law, they’re asking to get raped.
It’s a fact that men go wild when they see a woman’s breasts and thighs. It arouses them.
Q : Isn’t that the man’s problem to contend with?
A: This bylaw is about blind faith, so let’s not bring reason into it. The law is firm. People are so used to freedom they find religion difficult. Again, if you question it, then you’re an apostate.
Q : Do you realize that the Acehnese anticolonial heroine Cut Nyak Dhien wore pants?
A : Yes, and in the bylaw she’s excused on the grounds that the pants were Islamic war clothing. It’s difficult to wear those kinds of pants today. They were designed for guerilla warfare.
Q : You’re not worried this kind of policy will hurt your bid for re-election?
A : I hope to get re-elected, but that’s up to the people, of course. I’d rather take this risk then go to hell later.
If a leader doesn’t apply this kind of bylaw, there will be protests from clerics. I’m sure 70 percent of residents support this bylaw. I’ll work on the 30 percent later.
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