Sharia alert. “Indonesia seeks to save kissing for marriage,” from IOL, with thanks to all who sent this in:
Jakarta, Indonesia – Call it a kissing crackdown.
Indonesia’s government is considering a law banning unwed couples from pecking in public – and harshly penalising those who do, The Jakarta Post reported on Saturday.
The campaign against kissing is part of a proposal of sweeping reforms to laws adopted by the country’s Dutch colonial rulers in the late 19th century.
The head of the panel that drafted the law said Muslim beliefs about decency had influenced its decision. Neighbouring countries with large Muslim populations, such as Malaysia and Brunei, already enforce laws defining “khalwat”, or “close proximity”, a crime akin to adultery for unchaperoned meetings between Muslim men and women….
But they would also impose penalties on unwed couples who kiss in public, while permitting police raids on the homes of those suspected of living together out of wedlock.
Pornography and public displays of “certain sensual body parts” would be outlawed and media, movies and songs censored.
Penalties for law breakers would range from fines as high as 300 million rupiah (about R200 000) to up to 10 years imprisonment, according to the daily.