Source: Associated Press
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) — The conservative Indonesian province of Aceh known for publicly caning gays, adulterers and gamblers is considering the introduction of beheading as a punishment for murder, a top Islamic law official said Wednesday.
Syukri M. Yusuf, the head of Aceh’s Shariah Law and Human Rights Office, said the provincial government has asked his office to research beheading as a method of execution under Islamic law and to consult public opinion.
“Beheading is more in line with Islamic law and will cause a deterrent effect. A strict punishment is made to save human beings,” Yusuf told reporters. “We will begin to draft the law when our academic research is completed.”
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia to practice Shariah law, a concession made by the central government in 2001 as part of efforts to end a decades-long war for independence.
Categories: Asia, Indonesia, Shariah Law, The Muslim Times