Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – A patrol car belonging to Wilayatul Hisbah of the sharia police in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh Nanggroe Darussalam province, was burned out early Monday morning by unidentified attackers.

The car was attacked by at least four people using Molotov cocktails outside the sharia police headquarters at Mibo village in Banda Aceh, head of the sharia police Natsir Ilyas said. Ilyas said that after burning the car the attackers fled using motorcycles parked nearby. "They attacked the car using bottles filled with kerosene," he said.

Ilyas said he was still in the dark as to who was behind the attack, but he expressed confidence it was related to the rising number of sellers of alcoholic drinks as well as drugs in the city. "Possibly they do not agree with the implementation of sharia law in Aceh. It can be anybody," he said.

Nearly every day, Ilyas said, his subordinates patrol in the city to monitor activities deemed to violate sharia regulations. The patrols are usually conducted in areas considered to be prone to sharia regulation violations, like cafes and other places where youths gather, he said.

Ilyas said that based on the routine patrols, the sharia police handled 1,245 violations in the period between January and May this year. Out of the total cases, only four dealt with illegal distribution of liquor and 491 with sexual promiscuity, he said.

With regard to the implementation of the caning punishment, the sharia affairs office of Banda Aceh has punished 22 people in this manner from 2005 to 2007. Most of them were found guilty of involvement in gambling and other infractions, including liquor consumption and sexual promiscuity.

Even though Monday's attack did not destroy the car totally, the action has shocked the sharia police officers, Ilyas said. Sharia police commander Bahgia said this was the first such attack in Banda Aceh. He also admitted that in carrying out their duties the sharia police officers frequently faced threats in the field.

"In nearly every law and order operation, we frequently become involved in heated arguments with the perpetrators. They have even threatened us many times," Bahgia said.

Besides the physical threats, the sharia police have also frequently received threats through sms messages and anonymous phone calls, Bahgia said, adding that some of the threats included death threats.

The sharia police are one of the ways in which the Aceh provincial administration attempts to enforce sharia regulations against potential violators. The administration started to implement the regulations in 2004.

Aside from fighting the distribution of liquor, the sharia police officers frequently apprehend girls who wear inappropriate clothes and couples found together in public and deserted places.