The hypocrisy behind Indonesia’s war on sex

The Islamist push for a ban on extramarital sex runs counter to the nation’s more liberal sexual practices

An Acehnese woman is publicly whipped with a cane as punishment, in Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia, 12 June 2015. Four women and three men were caned by Sharia police in Aceh for having sex affairs without being married. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia to have implemented Sharia law.

In one of the most sweeping recent attempts to control people’s sexuality, Indonesia’s constitutional court is now considering outlawing extra-marital sex in Southeast Asia’s most populous state. An ongoing judicial review of the adultery, rape and paedophilia laws comes as the result of lobbying by conservative Islamic advocacy groups such as the Family Love Alliance. If proposed amendments are passed, all sex outside of wedlock and all same-sex relations would be criminalised. Early court hearings have already taken place, and a decision could be handed down as early as this month.
Yet sexuality has, as in many cultures around the world, long been a key component of Indonesian society. Activist and author Julia Suryakusuma broadly characterises Indonesians as “religious and raunchy”, saying sexuality is an intrinsic part of traditional culture, which is manifested in “our art, our dances and our temples”. Due to pre-Islamic influences of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism, sexuality has traditionally been portrayed “very purely”, she said, arguing that “notions of sexuality and spirituality are very fluid” in the ethnically diverse nation … More Here