Morning with the Sharia Police

Today was especially exciting.  Jeff, who was one of the Yale students that I met this weekend, invited me to go with him to interview the Sharia Police (more commonly referred to here as WH) and translate for him.  I got off to a bit of a shaky start since my becak driver dropped me off at the wrong office, but from there it went very smoothly. 

When I arrived at the office, it turned out that they were conducting a special operation called Socialisasi.  This is a similar concept to the more well-known Razia actions where WH officers pull people over and chastise them for wearing "inappropriate" clothing, going on dates with their boyfriends/girlfriends, and engaging in other "bad" activity that is not allowed within the laws of Sharia.  From what I've gathered, razia tends to be a little bit more severe and the people caught doing something that they're not supposed to results in more serious lecturing.  This socialisasi operation was more gentle, according to the officers we interviewed, and its main purpose was merely to remind offenders of the appropriate way to dress and conduct themselves according to Sharia law.  The first person who got pulled over was a young woman, college aged, who was wearing a tunic and leggings.

She was clearly upset about being pulled over - she looked so pissed off and refused to cooperate with them for a little while.  A couple of the female WH officers had to calm her down and convince her that all she had to do was sign her name, and that she wasn't in trouble - that they just wanted to talk to her.  

Basically what happens when someone is caught or pulled over is that they are taken to the side and have to show the WH officers their driver's licenses and give them their basic information - name, address, date of birth.  After that, one of the WH men gives them a lecture on appropriate conduct and religious fashion tips.  In Sharia, Muslim men and women are supposed to cover their aurat, which I like to refer to as "sexy parts".  A woman's aurat includes her hair, and from her neck to her feet.  Her forearms, however, are not included.  A man's aurat goes from his belly to his knees.  

There were a lot of women who got pulled over on motorbikes because their pants were deemed "too tight" by the WH officers.  It was interesting to see and hear their reactions, as there was some protest.  One woman said, 
"I don't understand why I am being pulled over.  I feel like I am dressed appropriately".
She wore a long shirt that went down to her thighs and blue jeans.  She tugged at her blue jeans, indicating that they were not tight at all and that they weren't clinging to her body as the jeans of some of the other offenders.  "Why are we being pulled over for wearing pants?  Even they are wearing pants", she continued, gesturing at the female WH officers.  
Another woman we interviewed, named Ipa, was equally as indignant.  

"I am very busy and have a lot of things to do.  I just got out of the shower and put on the clothes that I had so I could start my day sooner.  I am in a hurry and need to go to the market and buy food so I can cook for my children...I agree that as Muslim women ought to dress appropriately, but if they were really so concerned about us dressing inappropriately, they shouldn't sell inappropriate clothes in town.  How else will we know what is acceptable or not?  ...If they didn't sell clothes like these, we wouldn't buy them...we live in a modern world, Aceh is not like it was in the old days...You need to think progressively and not be stuck in the past...It's important to have an open mind, not a closed one."

Although there were a lot of women who were pulled over, there were a pretty decent amount of men that got stopped as well for dress code violations as this guy here.

 
 His knees are obviously covered in this picture, but maybe they were showing when he was on his motorbike.  Either way, the point that I wanted to make was that it's not just the women who are targeted.  However, I think that the majority of male offenders today were the public service officers who were skipping work.  Yes, WH also pulls over people who are skipping work.  Public servants wear khaki uniforms, and rest hours are from 12pm-2pm.  This operation was done between the hours of 9 and 11, so those people in uniforms who were out and about were pulled over, questioned, and lectured for leaving their job.

All of the lectures for dress code violators were pretty much the same.  I overheard them say,

"As Muslims, it is our duty to pray.  Likewise, it is also our duty to cover our aurat...men like it when you [women] wear tight clothes.  So, it is important to guard yourselves.  It is also important for you [men] to dress modestly as well."

 After being pulled over, everyone goes about their business as usual.  We asked a couple of people if this event today would encourage them to dress differently in the future.  One girl said that it was just "whatever", and that she probably wouldn't change her clothes.  Another offender wearing skinny jeans told us that she felt she was dressed "semi-appropriately", and that what she was wearing wasn't good but it also wasn't bad.  She said that in the future she would probably just wear longer shirts, since her butt was accentuated, but would keep on wearing the skinny jeans.  


The last two people we saw get pulled over were two young college-aged women.  One was not wearing a jilbab at all.  The other had on a jilbab, but a decent portion of her hair (a.k.a her bangs) were showing, and she was wearing a short-sleeved shirt.  I felt especially sorry for these two.  We asked one of them how she felt after being pulled over, and she admitted that she was scared.  She said that in the future she would remember to wear more appropriate clothing.  The reason I felt so bad for these two is because there was a camera crew there that kind of got in their faces, when they clearly did not want their pictures taken.  The girls who did not have a jilbab on somehow got her hands on one and put it on, and both hid their faces from the camera.  A lot of WH men and other male onlookers crowded around them in a circle, and it kind of felt as though they were a spectacle at a zoo or something.  They finally were permitted to go home after being lectured by one of the senior officers.  


Overall, it was a very interesting experience.  I got to talk a lot with the WH officers, and asked them what prompted them to join WH.  One female officer said,

"I wanted to join WH because before, I saw a lot of women going around wearing tight, inappropriate clothing and didn't like it.  We operate under Sharia law, and I feel that it should be enforced.  I want to do this so I can remind others of the law we live under and make dawa."

Apparently all of the WH officers join because they really want to help enforce Sharia, and we were told that everybody volunteered themselves to do it when asked if they wanted to join or not.  Before going on the force, candidates have to take a four part test and go through a little bit of training (I'm not sure in what, they didn't specify) before actually becoming a WH officer.

I'm not sure what the future of WH will be - maybe they will progressively grow more strict and try to enforce Sharia on a bigger level.  I've spoken to many people how they feel about Sharia in Aceh and have gotten mixed responses.  Some say that Aceh is not yet ready for Sharia, but the majority of people I have communicated with seem to have no problem with it and see WH operations as a "good thing".   

So far, I feel indifferent about Sharia in Aceh.  Yes, it's much different than what I'm used to.  Sometimes there is nothing more I'd like to do than to just take off my jilbab and enjoy a nice breeze blowing through my hair.  But as a Muslim woman and an Indonesian, I feel a strong obligation to wear it and have no complaints whatsoever.  In my opinion, the most important thing is that the region is peaceful.  Aceh is undoubtedly a very peaceful place to live, and I feel that after 30 years of conflict, the Acehnese just want to do their own thing and not have to worry about their safety.  

This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm so grateful to have been able to take part in it.   It was different, but it's just the way people operate over here.  Either way, it's one of the things that make Aceh a very interesting place.

Me and the female WH officers - I'm wearing an official hat given to me by one of the main guys heading the operation today!