Following Friday prayers at a mosque in the Indonesian province of Aceh, fifteen people were caned in public according to shari’a law: Aceh gamblers caned in public. (Hat tip: Ethel.)

The Indonesian province of Aceh has held its first public caning, under the region’s special Islamic laws. Fifteen people were caned for gambling offences outside a mosque in the town of Bireuen on Friday.

Aceh implemented partial Sharia law in 2001, as part of an autonomy deal offered by the Jakarta government. The province has a higher proportion of Muslims than other areas of Indonesia, and many Acehnese practice a stricter version of Islam.

The 15 men were flogged with a rattan cane on a specially-constructed stage in front of the Grand Mosque following midday prayers on Friday. Another 11 people are due to be caned at a later date.

The BBC seems to think it was a quaint afternoon diversion.

According to reports from the scene, the event was more of a festival than a punishment exercise. According to a BBC reporter in Bireuen, Maskur Abdullah, crowds of people, including children, watched the proceedings - cheering and booing as the culprits were brought onto the stage to receive their punishments.

One of the convicted men even faced the crowd afterwards and showed told [sic] them he had felt no pain, our reporter says.

On Thursday Bireuen’s district chief Mustafa Geulanggang explained why the authorities had decided to implement caning as a punishment. “It’s not about pain,” he told the BBC. “The aim is to shame people and deter them from doing the same criminal acts in the future.”

But the people of Indonesia aren’t as complacent as the BBC: Sharia in Aceh seen as biased against ordinary people.

Various elements of society in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam view the implementation of Sharia in the province as discriminatory and as not touching on core issues. “If the government is serious, it should implement local laws in regard to serious violations such as theft and corruption,” said legal practitioner Rufriadi on Saturday.

The statement was issued following public canings that were carried out by the Sharia court on 27 petty gamblers after Friday prayers in Bireun. All 27 of them were accused of placing Rp 1,000 (10 U.S. cents) bets in an illegal lottery.

Most of the by-laws ratified by the government involved minor offenses such as gambling, adultery and drinking liquor, and only ordinary people were liable to receive such punishments. Whereas in fact the most pressing problem facing Aceh was corruption.

Rufriadi expressed concern about the implementation of Islamic law which he deemed as discriminatory and that could lead to new conflicts among the people of Aceh. Apart from being discriminatory, he also questioned the overlapping of Sharia with Indonesia’s common law.

“The Supreme Court should have issued a clear ruling on this matter. Which law is to be applied; the common law, or Islamic law?” he said. He noted that the caned offenders had already been detained for 22 days and had not been given the chance to be represented by their lawyers. “They faced dual punishments, based on the common law and Islamic law,” said Rufriadi.

Meanwhile, people in Bireun have expressed their disappointment and have criticized the implementation of Islamic law as they consider it was solely aimed at the common people.

“We have received many protests and complaints from the public. They are doubtful about Islamic law,” said the coordinator of the Aceh Students and Youth Forum in Bireun, Anwar Afandi. According to Anwar, Islamic law seems to be enforced against ordinary people while transgressions committed by corrupt high-ranking government officials are overlooked.

He expects that if state officials were to violate the law, they should also receive judicial redress regardless of their backgrounds. “Islamic law should not discriminate,” he said.

His organization has doubts whether the Islamic Law Office has the courage to try state officials involved in corruption. “If they dare take this step, then they should be commended,” added Anwar.