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Thousands rally in Indonesia for Islamic law imposition
Jakarta, Feb 29: Thousands of white-clad people chanted religious slogans at rallies in cities across Indonesia on Sunday, demanding the imposition of traditional Islamic law in the world`s most populous Muslim nation.
Jakarta, Feb 29: Thousands of white-clad people chanted religious slogans at
rallies in cities across Indonesia on Sunday, demanding the imposition of
traditional Islamic law in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
Organizers said 20,000 supporters rallied in several cities, but police and
witnesses said only about 2,000 marched in the capital, Jakarta, and a few
hundred in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.
The rallies were part of a largely unsuccessful campaign to convince the country's Muslim majority to embrace Shariah or Islamic law. Although more than 80% of the country's 215 million people are Muslim, only the war-torn province of Aceh has implemented the system on a small scale. Shariah law is derived from the sayings of the Prophet Mohammed, Islamic tradition and the Muslim holy book - the Quran. It's a wide-ranging system that regulates many aspects of public and personal life.
Women wearing headscarves and men dressed in long, white robes were among the demonstrators who marched through central Jakarta on Sunday. They carried banners reading, "Uphold Shariah" and chanted "Allahu akbar" or "God Is Great."
Speakers urged the crowd to educate their fellow Muslims about the benefits of Shariah law and only support those politicians in April 5 parliamentary elections who endorse it.
Bureau Report
The rallies were part of a largely unsuccessful campaign to convince the country's Muslim majority to embrace Shariah or Islamic law. Although more than 80% of the country's 215 million people are Muslim, only the war-torn province of Aceh has implemented the system on a small scale. Shariah law is derived from the sayings of the Prophet Mohammed, Islamic tradition and the Muslim holy book - the Quran. It's a wide-ranging system that regulates many aspects of public and personal life.
Women wearing headscarves and men dressed in long, white robes were among the demonstrators who marched through central Jakarta on Sunday. They carried banners reading, "Uphold Shariah" and chanted "Allahu akbar" or "God Is Great."
Speakers urged the crowd to educate their fellow Muslims about the benefits of Shariah law and only support those politicians in April 5 parliamentary elections who endorse it.
Bureau Report