1
The sharia in AcehThe implementation of Islamic law (sharia) in Indonesia is an issue that has raised numerous controversies since independence, as the decision had been taken not to inscribe Islam as the religion of the state as early as 1950. Aceh province, reputed to be particularly rigorous in terms of religion and which has shown strong separatist tendencies for a long time, raised that issue with a special virulence. The decision to authorize that province alone to enforce sharia is the fruit of recent unpredictable events.
2The presidential mandate of B.J. Habibie, which occurred unexpectedly (as a result of the fall of Soeharto's governement, in May 1998) and lasted only a year (1998)(1999), provoked reforms of disproportionate dimensions. These included the independence of Timor Leste, a regional decentralisation process and the decision to grant sharia to Aceh. At the same time, Aceh province, newly baptised Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (henceforth, Aceh) was granted a status of special autonomy (as already enjoyed by Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Papua) which confered it a greater autonomy than enjoyed by the other provinces. The granting of sharia, in 1998, was not a response to any special pressure of the moment; it was conceived as a gesture to smooth the relationship between the central government and the province.