Asia: Shariah Asia Spread Appeases Islamists, Risks Rights
— Bloomberg reports: “A 32-year-old mother may soon be caned in Malaysia as punishment for drinking a beer. Lawmakers in Indonesia’s Aceh province last month approved the stoning to death of adulterers and flogging of gays.”
— “These are only the most recent signs of growing support among local governments for Islamic Shariah law in two countries the U.S. cites as models of moderate Muslim democracies. Clerics in both nations have also sought to ban yoga, Facebook and concerts by such artists as the Black Eyed Peas and Beyonce.”
— “The spread of fundamentalist Islam across a swath of Southeast Asia is testing the ability of policymakers to appeal to devout Muslims while simultaneously protecting the rights of Buddhist, Christian and Hindu minorities.”