From AP, with thanks to Twostellas:
A survey showed yesterday that many Indonesians support the implementation of strict Islamic law, with nearly 60 percent saying they want adulterers to be whipped and 40 percent backing cutting off a thief’s hand.
The survey, conducted by the U.S.-funded Freedom Institute, also found 16 percent of people polled refused to condemn terror attacks by the al-Qaida linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah if they were committed to fight Muslim oppression. Still, 59 percent condemned the attacks, while 25 percent said they had no opinion.
The findings will likely rekindle concerns that radical Islam is gaining a foothold in the world’s most populous Muslim nation, which has long embraced a moderate form of the religion.
“It is a worrying phenomenon,” said Ulil Abdala, the institute’s head. “There is a strong indication that radical Islam is gaining ground.”