After the backs of the six men and women had been flogged more than 20 times each, some collapsed, bleeding, crying with severe pain and had to be carried off stage, say reports. The publication said that not many residents attended the punishment, but students from Malaysia, studying at the Ar-Raniry State Islamic University, witnessed the distressing beating. Wincing with pain, some collapsed after the caning, while one man was so badly injured that paramedics tried to stretcher him off the stage, but he refused, and was instead carried down by cops.
Usman said that none of the couples were local residents, but had violated strict Shariah laws while in the city of Banda Aceh. The Times says that about 90 per cent of Indonesia's million people are Muslims, making it the largest Islamic population in the world. Over the past two decades, though, more conservative rules have been established, and in ultra-conservative Aceh, Sharia is enforced by dedicated police, and offences are punishable by public flogging and prison sentences.
Earlier this year, teenage sweethearts were brutally caned in front of a baying crowd, just because they were caught cuddling. Sharia law is a set of religious principles which aim to help Muslims understand how to lead their daily lives as part of Islamic tradition. The legal system of Islam, it was derived from both the Koran - the central religious text of Islam - and fatwas - the rulings of Islamic scholars.
There are two main branches of Sharia - ibadat, which means rituals or acts of worship, and mu'amalat, meaning human interactions and social relations. These break down into smaller branches which include things like finances, marriage, diet, prayers, fasting and pilgrimage.
Sign in. All Football. Debbie White. What is Sharia law? Most read in World News.
