Adultery Now Punishable By Death By Stoning in Indonesia

Beyond the Veil| In today’s earlier report on new sharia laws regarding women’s trousers in Indonesia’s West Aceh district, we hadn’t read the NYTimes report about new death by stoning sharia laws for adultery, taking effect in Indonesia this month.

Much of the conversation, as reported in the NYTimes, is focused on a belief that the stoning law won’t actually be implemented.

Not wanting to be branded “a bad Muslim”, six of the seven parties represented in Indonesia’s Parliament voted for the law. “We never openly said that we were opposed to stoning,” said Yusrizal Ibrahim, 49, a Democratic Party member who served as a lawmaker until last month. “Stoning is part of Shariah, and by voting ‘No,’ it would have made it look as though we were against Islam.

Even moderates argue that if one is against stoning, then one is against Shariah. And if one is against Shariah, one is against Islam.

Have either I or the NYTimes misquoted this understanding of the facts? I will print an immediate retraction. Anne