by Mathias Hariyadi

Islamic leaders fear "places of entertainment" will be transformed into centers for prostitution. The ban also includes "karaoke bars and discos". Phenomenon of paid sex affecting more and more young people. Web and the internet cafés also to be controlled, places of potential "threat" to morality.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Hotels, hostels and all public places in the province of Aceh must stop providing entertainment and live shows for their guests and the general public. This is the demands of the local Islamic fundamentalist groups who claim that the so-called "places of entertainment " can very easily be transformed into centers for paid sex.

It is normal practice to offer attractions such as karaoke, cabaret or live music in hotels or clubs in Indonesia. However, these places also become an easy meeting point between clients and prostitutes. Hence the ban imposed by the ulema of the only province in the archipelago which is subject to Islamic law: "The karaoke and discos - says Tengku Faisal Ali, a Muslim leader in Banda Aceh - will not be allowed in any hotel or public space in Aceh".

The leading Islamic clerics' demands are motivated by the growing phenomenon of prostitution - particularly among the very young - in the province of Aceh. The ulema have also widened their attention to the web and internet cafés, identified as sites of potential "threats" to morality and traditional customs.

In some areas of the Indonesian archipelago, the most populous Muslim nation in the world, the influence of radical Islam is becoming more pronounced, as well as incidents of violence or intolerance towards other faiths. In particular, in the province of Aceh, the only one in the Archipelago to apply Sharia law, as a result of a peace agreement between the central government and the Free Aceh Movement ( GAM ). This led to a further restriction on the costumes and heavy punishment for those who contravene the rules. Compliance with the law is also ensured by the presence of the "morality police" on the streets.

A crackdown that coincided with the rise to power of the governor Zaini Abdullah, a former leader of the independence movement who today has devoted himself to politics. However, the choice to toughen laws, regulations, norms and customs has failed to find favor with a large proportion of the local population, forced to abruptly change long held habits and customs. Among the decisions contested by the people of Aceh, are a whole series of prohibitions in particular on women: wearing jeans and tight skirts , travelling astride on motorcycles, dancing in public are banned because they "foment desire".