Letter: Sharia law in Aceh

I read Julia Suryakusuma's article (the Post, Aug. 26) with great interest, as I have just returned from two weeks In Aceh.

While in West Aceh, I witnessed the religious police stop a woman and interrogate her because she was not wearing a head covering. I also read a local regulation in a government office that forbade women from wearing trousers to work.

While these are small matters compared to stoning for adultery and cutting off a hand for thievery, they are nonetheless unwelcome encroachments on personal rights. I hope that Governor Irwandi and Partai Aceh deliver all that Suryakusuma anticipates, or else the next time I am in Aceh, I might see even more brutal reminders of sharia.

Having been raised in Islamic countries, I am a great fan of Islam as a compelling religion. I am not however a fan of sharia and believe it should have no place in a country as pluralistic and moderate as Indonesia.

Lucy S. Mize
Jakarta