Get real, what has hudud got to do with floods?
Alyaa Alhadjri, The Ant Daily
What does Kelantan and the Aceh region in Indonesia have in common?
On the surface, both Kelantan and Aceh share a similar image of being coastal areas with humble homes, grand mosques, towering palm trees, rich in natural resources and the socio-economic background of its people.
Both Kelantan and Aceh also share the title ‘Serambi Mekah’ due to its long history of playing an important role in spreading Islam in then Malaya and Indonesia.
In the current context, while the Kelantan state government is still in the process of debating implementation of hudud law, Aceh had since July 17, 2005, been granted special autonomous powers to implement the Islamic penal code.
The hudud law in Aceh was implemented a few months after the region and several other neighbouring areas were struck by a devastating tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people – on Dec 26, 2004, – and marked its 10th anniversary last Friday.
The BBC on Friday reported that Indonesia’s Vice-President Jusuf Kalla had led tributes to the dead at the Siron mass grave and also attended prayers held at Baiturrahman mosque – a 19th century structure and one of the few buildings that survived the massive waves – in the city’s capital of Banda Aceh.
The BBC quoted the mosque’s imam, Asman Ismail, as saying that the tsunami had taught a “valuable lesson” to Aceh which had been the scene of an armed conflict for nearly 30 years.
“After the tsunami, no one fights against each other, people live in harmony and peace till this day,” Asman claimed, despite concerns raised over rights abuses in Aceh linked to implementation of hudud.
In Malaysia, Friday was also Day 6 since torrential rain started in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak and Perlis – leading to what has been described as the worst floods in 30 years – forcing more than 100,000 people to flee their homes, as of press time.
Seemingly sharing the same logic as Asman, PAS Pasir Mas MP Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz had in a recent Facebook posting argued that the floods are a reminder from Allah for Muslims to return to His teachings and avoid His wrath.
“It (the floods) justifies the Kelantan government’s steadfastness in implementing the hudud,” said Nik Abduh, son of PAS spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.
Both Asman and Nik Abduh, however, have failed to explain how hudud will be able to resolve some of the most pressing social issues affecting the people in Aceh and Kelantan.
