Comments: Aceh teen’s suicide linked to sharia practice

Paper Edition | Page: 8

Sept. 14, p. 2

The apparent suicide of a teenage girl in Aceh should prompt officials to rethink the harsh penalties imposed by sharia, a member of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) says.

The dead girl, identified as 16-year-old PE, was at a concert in Langsa, Aceh on Sept. 3 when Sharia police apprehended her during a raid and harangued her in public for allegedly engaging in prostitution.

PE’s story was picked up the next day by local media outlets, some of whom identified the girl by her full name and repeated the allegations of the Sharia police.

Your comments:

Sharia rules violate human rights. If you want to adhere by your religion and its rules, then feel free to follow it; you have that right.

However, you do not have the right to compel others to be subjugated to your rules.

Furthermore, one Muslim does not speak for all Muslims. One voice represents one person.

There are Muslims who do not want to follow sharia’s strict interpretations of the many translations of books.

If someone wishes to be a liberal believer, then followers of sharia have no right to interfere.

Brien

The Aceh Sharia police, as well as those who established the strict Sharia Law in Aceh, are wholly responsible for the numerous human rights violations that have occurred, and are still occurring, in Aceh.

They drove the poor harassed girl to commit suicide. Their mistake is that they believe they are carrying out “The Creator’s” wishes.

They will certainly be very surprised when they themselves die and find out that they were utterly wrong all along.

They should be ashamed of themselves; this is the 21st century, not the Stone Age.

There must be peace and love for all, not religion and hate

Tami