Home / All / Fiqh & Socitey / Indonesian Province Bans Women to Dining with Non-Mahram in Restaurant

Indonesian Province Bans Women to Dining with Non-Mahram in Restaurant

A district in Indonesia’s deeply Islamic Aceh province has banned men and women from dining together unless they are married or related, according to an official who said it would help women be “more well behaved”.

Aceh is the only region in the world’s most populous Muslim majority country that imposes Islamic law.

Under the latest regulation, women in Bireuën district on Sumatra island will not be able to share a table with men at restaurants and coffee shops unless they are accompanied by their husband or a close male relative.

Co-workers on their lunch break will also be forbidden from sharing a meal.

“The objective is to protect women’s dignity so they will feel more comfortable, more at ease, more well behaved and will not do anything that violates sharia (Islamic law),” the head of the local sharia office, Jufliwan – who like many Indonesians has only one name – told AFP on Wednesday.

Another part of the directive, signed by the district head on 5 August, said women who were alone or without a family member should not be served at restaurants and cafés after 9pm.

Authorities say it will be up to restaurateurs to enforce the regulation, although offenders will not be punished.

Three years ago the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, banned unaccompanied women from entertainment venues including cafes and sports halls after 11pm.

About Ali Teymoori

Check Also

Tens of Thousands in New Zealand Demonstrate for Palestine, Demand Sanctions on Israel

Thousands took part in a pro-Palestinian march in Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city, on Saturday in what organizers said was the largest rally of its kind since the Israeli war on Gaza began in October 2023....

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Google Analytics Alternative