Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post,

While sharia bylaws are intended to maintain order in society, their day-to-day implementation is not effective, and in some regions, they frequently trigger social conflict.

Wahid Institute executive director Ahmad Suaedy said that even for Muslims, the bylaws could create problems, because not every Muslim had the same opinion about sharia.

“Take the headscarf policy, for example. Some women don’t mind wearing the veil because they see it as mandatory. But for others, the policy has become a liability,” Ahmad told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

In Ahmad’s opinion, so far the implementation of sharia-inspired bylaws has not been effective, including in Aceh, where the administration has already approved 54 of 59 bylaws slated to be issued by 2012. Aceh has been granted special autonomy under the 1999 Aceh Administration Law.

Read more