21 People Caned in May for Breaking Indonesian Gambling Laws

The month of May wasn’t very lucky for twenty one unfortunate punters and gamblers who were caught gambling in the Indonesian Islamic province of Aceh. Indonesia has long been hailed by proponents of the Islamic sharia laws as a model of tolerance and kindness.

It is possible that too much kindness weakens the spirit of jihad, as the imams who have a stranglehold grip over the province went on a caning rampage during the month of May.

The London-based Amnesty International has been pleading with the Islamic government of Indonesia to stop the ‘growing use of caning as a punishment in conservative Aceh province.’

The human rights group reported that nobody was spared the brutal beating by a thick wooden cane who was declared guilty of breaking Indonesian gambling laws.

Under Islamic sharia laws, all forms of gambling are a grave sin except betting between participants in camel and horse races and archery contests.

Unfortunately the only camel found in all of Indonesia is a decrepit old camel named Mustafa at the Jakarta zoo. It is unlikely the ancient beast could survive even one lap around the race tract.

Prior to being beaten, usually until the unfortunate gambler or punter lost consciousness, a mock trial was quickly held. All were quickly found guilty by a kangaroo court composed of imams without being allowed to defend themselves against the accusation of betting on sports in Indonesia.

Young crying children, toothless old men, and weeping housewives were tightly strapped to a wooden frame with their naked buttocks exposed to a jeering crowd of bearded men or burka clad women (the spectators were segregated based on the sex of the victim.)

In the future, the twenty one victims who are scarred for life by the punishment, should consider using foreign based online casinos in Indonesia which are outside the reach of the cane loving imams.

Sam Zarifi, the Amnesty International director for Asia and Pacific, is worried over the increase in caning which jumped from 16 victims in May 2010 to 21 victims in May of 2011. Indonesia granted the province of Aceh partial autonomy and allowed the imams to full implement the Islamic Sharia laws.

Indonesia has a policy of secularism which is quite difficult to spot through the forest of scowling faces, turbans, long beards and burkas.