Subsidizing Sharia

Tsunami aid sent to an Indonesian province has freed government funds for the lashing of women for purported violations of Islamic law, a report said Sunday.

Militant Islamists in Indonesia's Aceh Province now impose Shariah law and pay moral vigilante forces to harass women and stage frequent public beatings, The Times of London reported.

More "Shariah police" than regular police are on the local government payroll, with many of them aggressive young men, the newspaper says.

International aid workers say the flow of foreign cash for reconstruction has allowed the government to spend scarce money to enforce such laws as the compulsory wearing of head scarves.