Sharia in Aceh is non-negotiable, says a young cleric.

Faisal Ali, the head of “Rabithah Thaliban”, an organisation of Islamic school students in Aceh, says the issue of sharia is not a “political commodity”. Speaking in response to criticisms voiced at an international conference in the capital Banda Aceh of the implementation of sharia and whether it was really desired by the people he said:

It has to be underlined that the application of sharia represents the aspirations of the people to live in an Islamic atmosphere.

Those attending the conference should not discuss whether most people in Aceh support formal sharia or not, he said. People at conferences about Aceh should talk about how to develop the province instead.

If there really were people in Aceh who didn’t agree with sharia he advised them to go and live somewhere else. What’s more, he said, sharia did not disturb those of other faiths.

If sharia was to be talked about the discussion should be confined to how to perfect its application. Sharia was already a vital part of the life of the Aceh people and couldn’t be overturned. republika