Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Home Affairs Ministry says it will summon the mayor and City Council speaker of Tasikmalaya to explain controversial shariah-inspired bylaws issued in the West Java city and plans to establish a Shariah police force there.

"Give us time to study this," Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi said in Jakarta on Wednesday. "I have already asked the ministry secretary general to summon the mayor of Tasikmalaya and the head of the local council to discuss this problem."

Tasikmalaya authorities raised eyebrows last month when they said they planned to form a Shariah police force for the city in order to implement bylaws issued in 2009 to promote conservative Islamic values.

The bylaws would prohibit women from going outside without headscarves and would bar men and women who were not married from being alone together. Officials have previously passed bylaws penalizing homosexuality, alcohol use, witchcraft, pornography and abortion.

Gamawan said he needed time to study the case before making any conclusions. "If the rules of one religion are to be applied to the general public, then they should be reviewed first," he said.

The bylaws have been condemned by Islamic leaders, politicians and residents.