European legislators warned Monday that Islamic-based laws limiting the rights of women in some part of Indonesia could scare off investors and damage international relations.Indonesia is a secular, democratic state. In recent years, so-called bylaws have been adopted in one province and some districts implementing conservative views. Some fear the change could pressure the central government to follow.German lawmaker Hartmut Nassauer, speaking at the end of a five-day visit by European politicians to southeast Asia, said that while Indonesia is a democracy, the passing of Shariah, or Islamic law, "could burden international relationships. ""If a state introduces religious laws it automatically separates itself from other states where we are free to practice faith, but not obliged to," he said, speaking on behalf of a group of nine lawmakers."Such a development has an impact on relationships with other countries," he said, referring to European economic interests in Indonesia.Around 90 percent of Indonesia's 220 million residents are Muslim, the vast majority of them moderate.Around two-thirds of the population disagrees with harsh Islamic laws that punish women for not covering their heads or allow for convicted thieves to have their hands amputated, a recent opinion poll showed.In the strictly devout Aceh province, where the Shariah police enforce laws governing religious morality, a woman can be punished for not wearing a head scarf in public or going out after an evening curfew.A bill was recently submitted to parliament to make non-Muslims comply with Shariah law in Aceh, raising alarm among the nation's minority Christians, Buddhists and Hindus.The nine lawmakers said in a statement they were also concerned about corruption in the judiciary and suggested Jakarta follow the example of other Southeast Asian countries that have already or are considering abolishing the death penalty.
Environmental organization Greenpeace India has demanded that all Indian palm oil importers and corporate consumers immediately stop palm oil sourcing from Indonesian companies like Duta Palma who make palm oil by destroying forests and tiger habitat in Indonesia. An investigative report issued by Greenpeace Indonesia released on Thursday links India's growing palm oil imports and corporate apathy to Duta Palma's destruction of hundreds of acres of Indonesian rainforests and tiger habitat in complete disregard of Indonesian government&# 39;s moratorium on such activities in the rainforest. Big Indian corporates like Ruchi Soya, Adani -Wilmar, Godrej Industries, Parle, Britannia are among many who use Indonesian palm oil in their products on a large scale. "Duta Palma's dirty oil could well be entering into their supply chains. Yet, so far, no Indian company has taken any visible steps to clean up their supply chain, to delink their brands from the ...
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