Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Indonesia has introduced Islamic law in Aceh in an attempt to create the illusion that syariah is the cure for all of the province's political problems.

Acehnese observers point out that the demand for syariah came not from the Acehnese community, but originated in Jakarta during the Habibie government.

"It's an instrument for the government to control the Acehnese community, and the implementation of syariah is controlled by the government," said Acehnese observer Otto Syamsuddin Ishak.

Jakarta played up claims that a desire for an Islamic state was at the root of Acehnese demands for independence, despite evidence that neither the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), the rebels seeking independence, nor the Acehnese community, demanded syariah, said Mr Otto.

He accused former president Abdurrahman Wahid and the current Megawati administration of using syariah to politicise Islam in Aceh. He said Jakarta hoped to create the impression that the Acehnese were hardline Muslim militants who were anti-western and opposed to democracy and human rights. This would in turn reduce international and Indonesian sympathy for the Acehnese and would divert attention away from Jakarta's failure to bring the military's human rights abuses to court, political observers said.

Mr Humam Hamid, from the non-governmental organisation Care Human Rights Forum, said that despite widely held impressions in Jakarta and elsewhere that the Acehnese were fanatic Muslims, there was no great demand in Aceh for syariah law. "Acehnese have already been living with our own syariah for quite some time. We practise our religion every day by praying, fasting and keeping away from drugs."

And if Jakarta and Aceh's government were trying to create the impression that it was a hotbed of fundamental Islam, it could backfire on the politicians, he added. "Acehnese will be unimpressed with just symbolic syariah, such as introducing special syariah police and provisions for the jilbab." Jilbab is the Indonesian word for Islamic headscarves.

"The local government and political leaders should lead by example," said Mr Humam, explaining that the Acehnese expect the provincial government to be more committed to ending graft and promoting democracy. "I joked to an Acehnese politician who wanted to make a comparative study of syariah that he should go to Singapore and Switzerland, because over there, he can learn how those countries overcome crime, value their environment, keep their cities clean and fight corruption. The only difference is that their laws are not based on the holy book,' he said.

Observers have also pointed out that the move to introduce syariah is part of a plan to co-opt religious leaders. The ulamas, who wield significant power in Aceh, had dropped support for independence as they believed that Islamic law gave them greater political power, Mr Otto said.