Recently on 21st April 2020, six people were flogged in Indonesia's Aceh Province for violating Islamic Law in an indoor ceremony which was scaled down due to the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic.
Aceh is the only region in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country of Indonesia, that imposes Islamic law. About 98% of Aceh's five million residents are Muslims and therefore subject to the law, known locally as Qanun.
The practice of flogging is taken into practice for some actions which are Considered as offences in the region at the tip of Sumatra island, which includes drinking alcohol, gambling, adultery and having gay or pre-marital sex.
Previously, public caning has been livestreamed and uploaded on the Internet, drawing international criticism.
The public canings in Aceh Province attract a large number of spectators witnessing this pitiable event and taking pictures on their phones, but this time the event had a handful of people there.
Out of the total 6 people who were flogged, one unmarried couple was ferociously punished after they were caught together in a hotel room, while the other four were flogged 40 times each for drinking alcohol.
You can watch the video here:
The point of the matter is that, even at this crucial time when the world is suffering a global Pandemic, the Aceh Province of Indonesia considers religious law above any other code of conduct! The social distancing guidelines that has been issued globally has become a matter of no concern here.
You can see in the video that through many of those watching this brutal act were wearing masks, while the cane-wielding enforcer wears a covering hoodie in any case – but pitifully, not all of the victims had their face covered.
The Rights groups in Indonesia and elsewhere have slammed public caning as cruel, and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has called for it to end, but the practice has wide support among Aceh's population.
There are many cases associated with this practice of flogging. This video which was released two years back explains the plight of this heinous act where the people get subjected to canning publically.
Watch This Video From 2018:
There are two questions that come up in the way, well, can we draw a conclusion forth that the Acehan Islamists consider the religion above humanity and human life? Is there no concern left for others' safety during the time of such a deadly Pandemic?
At this point of time, any religion shouldn't be considered above humanity and the dignity and safety of humankind. This practice of flogging is indeed an atrocious act which shouldn't be given mere importance. The need of the hour is to ensure others' safety and not being subjective of what needs to be done for vested interests.
