Acehnese Advised Against Festive New Year's Eve Celebration

Acehnese Advised Against Festive New Year's Eve Celebration
Jakarta Globe | December 31, 2010


People in Aceh province are advised against festive New Year's Eve celebrations, including the use of fireworks and blowing on trumpets because it is against Sharia law.

“It must be obeyed by the people,” Said Yulizal, the head of Aceh's Sharia office told news portal Okezone.com.

Yulizal said the municipal government placed posters and handed out flyers about the New Year's Eve celebration advisory on public places in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. According to Yulizal, celebrating New Year's Eve with parties and fireworks is not part of Acehnese culture.

“They are only followers because they have been influenced by other cultures,” he said.

There are no penalties imposed for residents who refused to obey the advice.

“Those who disobey the advice, disobey their own religion,” he said.

On Thursday, thousands of people held a mass prayer at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh. The event organizer, Teuku Tarmizi Daud, said Muslims should celebrate the new year with prayers, instead of festive parties.

“The Aceh people are enthusiastic in joining the mass prayer because in general, most Acehnese hold fast to Islamic values. What we need is the government's support to completely uphold the Sharia in Aceh,” Tarmizi told local newspapers Serambi Aceh.

Despite Indonesia's secular Constitution, devoutly Muslim Aceh was allowed to adopt parts of Shariah law, presumably to prevent the Acehnese from joining the rebellious Free Aceh Movement (GAM).



(""What we need is the government's support to completely uphold the Sharia in Aceh,” Tarmizi told local newspapers Serambi Aceh."" This according to my knowledge is pure Wahabi nonsense, the Teachings in the Quran do not call for compulsion, but for compliance out of own volition, these people advocating total Sharia but according to their interpretation are kufir, deviants away from the Allah's influence by reason of their own choice!* Kesas' musings*)