The Islamic fascists are hijacking the intended purpose of the law, changing it into a thinly veiled version of Sharia law for women. Even this modest traditional garment would violate the law as “bare shoulders” are forbidden and can carry stiff fines and prison sentences. Even being a bit late getting home after sundown can be construed as prostitution.

NPR (more audio at link) :Indonesia's controversial new anti-pornography bill is drawing some criticism in the moderate Muslim nation. In its current form, the bill cracks down on adult books and films. But it also targets many forms of social behavior, such as kissing in public and how women dress.

Fauzia Damayanti stands to spend 10 years in prison unless she mends her wicked ways. Her possible crime? The Jakarta housewife wears miniskirts.

Under a draft anti-pornography bill being considered by Indonesian lawmakers, women who wear clothes deemed to be revealing may be jailed or fined as much as $111,000. Couples who kiss in public may face a five-year sentence or a $55,000 fine.

Bloomberg :The issue has ignited unprecedented debate in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, over the role of Islam in public life. While 85 percent of the nation's 228 million people say they are Muslims, traditional dress codes among more than 400 ethnic groups range from bare breasts in West Papua to naked shoulders in Java. Indonesia's archipelago straddles the equator and mostly has a tropical climate.

``Indonesia has no tradition of covering all of the body; it's a tradition of the Middle East,'' said Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, a law professor at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta and chairwoman of the university's Human Rights Study Center. ``We have hundreds and hundreds of customs, so why should we have a single type of clothing for every citizen?''

Conservatives are trying to introduce elements of Islamic law, or Shariah, through the bill, Harkrisnowo said. Several regencies, or local governments, have introduced similar bylaws.

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