| Nice currency you got here; be a shame if anything happened to it. |
The implementation of sharia-style laws in several regions in the country could negatively affect foreign investment and hurt Indonesia's international relations, a European parliamentary delegation visiting the country says.
The head of the eight-member group, Hartmut Nassauer, said in Jakarta on Friday the delegation was concerned religious laws could discriminate against non-Muslims. While Europe had strong Christian traditions, it was not a Christian continent but a secular collection of states, Nassauer said. There were 30 million Muslims living in Europe, he said.
| Two sentences, complete understanding of the problem. |
Despite claims to the contrary, Nassauer said if a religious law became a state law, followers of other faiths and non-believers could be obliged to live under that law. "You cannot force a citizen to hold a certain religion, which is against his or her will," he said. Implementing religious laws could also isolate Indonesia from other nations and create frictions.
|