The Jakarta Post
The enforcement of many sharia-based ordinances in the country has been denounced by several legal experts as a violation of basic human rights. Expressing support for new Constitutional Court chief Moh. Mahfud M.D., law experts on Sunday called for the revocation of the bylaws, saying they breached human rights articles enshrined in the Constitution. Constitutional law expert Irman Putra Sidin said the ordinances were against the Constitution not because of their Islamic values, but because they restricted the basic rights of citizens. "The sharia-based ordinance prohibiting women from going outside at night in Tangerang, for instance, has clearly limited women's rights to conduct activities," he said. The court, however, ruled in favor of the Tangerang mayor after a woman arrested under the bylaw challenged the ordinance. Last Friday, ...