Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – The sharia regulation prohibiting women from wearing pants in West Aceh regency drew strong condemnation from public circles in Aceh province.

"The enforcement of the regulation is an accumulation of the negative views against women from the perspective of Islamic sharia," said Norma Susanti, the women and children's division head of Aceh Human Rights NGO Coalition. She added that the regulation, issued by the West Aceh regent, was very discriminative in nature and very detrimental to women.

"Islamic sharia is not discriminative against women, but it's different when it is used as a political means by men to restrain women's movements. There are many important issues the government should be handling rather than dealing with dress codes or someone's sins," Norma said.

Although Aceh has enforced Islamic sharia law, social problems have instead upset society further, such as the crime rate that has continued to rise, with increases in robbery, murder, rape and abduction cases.

"We are accused of being people who are against God when we criticize such policies. These accusations have made us tired of continuing the struggle," Norma said.

Legal expert Saifudin Bantasyam from Syiah Kuala University said the ban on women wearing trousers was not legally strong enough to be enforced. "The ordinance is merely a circular which has no legal standing, except for the internal interests of the regency administration."

He added the bylaw could not be implemented because Aceh already had a provincial ordinance regulating the dress code in accordance with Islamic sharia.

"The ordinance doesn't regulate on the types of clothing women should wear, but only a dress code that is decent and in accordance with sharia, and only that," he said.

Aceh Ulema Assembly (MPU) chairman Muslim Ibrahim similarly criticized the regulation, urging it to be reviewed. "We should not be arrogant and force others not to wear pants," he said.

Also slamming the regulation was Taufik Riswan, director of West Aceh Women and Child Protection Research Institute, who said the regent was "overreacting". "The regulation is against the principles of human rights and the 1945 Constitution," Taufik said.