JAKARTA, July 31 — Indonesia’s top clerical council has asked the government to draw up legislation that will make tourism in the country compliant with Islamic principles.
The Jakarta Globe said yesterday that the call came from the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), which is convening its annual congress on fatwas, or edicts, this week.
The body recommended that Indonesia’s tourism industry be based on Shariah law, in order to prevent “damage caused by tourism.”
“The MUI urges the government to immediately draw up regulations/legislation on Shariah hotels, Shariah travel and Shariah entertainment,” the council said in a statement yesterday.
The newspaper quoted MUI as saying tourism should be managed in an “enlightening, refreshing and calming” in order to steer clear of elements such as prostitution and alcohol consumption.
MUI also asked that a standard of “ethics and behaviour” be enforced on tourists to prevent “hedonistic and pornographic” conduct — which the body has previously defined as including the wearing of bikinis, even on beaches.
The Jakarta Globe added that MUI’s recommendations are not legally binding, although some regional governments in Muslim-majority areas have previously cited them in pushing through conservative bylaws.
