Legal Pluralism and the Enforcement of Zina Offences
Analysis of Customary and Jinayat Law in the Alas Community, Aceh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21154/justicia.v23i2.12655Keywords:
Customary Law; Qanun; Adultery; Southeast Aceh.Abstract
This study analyzes the enforcement of adultery in the Alas Tribe community in Southeast Aceh Regency, highlighting the dominance of customary law mechanisms over formal law enforcement, as provided in Qanun Aceh Number 6 of 2014 concerning Jinayat Law. Although the qanun normatively regulates criminal sanctions for adultery, its implementation at the local level has not been effective. This study uses a normative-empirical approach, combining analyses of legislation, case studies, and in-depth interviews with traditional leaders, Wilayatul Hisbah officials, and Sharia Court judges. The results show a dualism in the mechanisms for resolving adultery cases, characterized by a strong community preference for customary law. Customary-based resolution is seen as better at maintaining family honor and restoring social harmony, but it also undermines legal certainty and the effectiveness of criminal punishment. This article argues that the dominance of customary mechanisms reflects the failure of normative integration between jinayat law and customary law, resulting in the inability to achieve the objectives of Islamic criminal punishment (maqāṣid al-'uqūbāt), particularly the deterrent effect, justice, and equality before the law. This research contributes to the development of Islamic legal pluralism studies by emphasizing the importance of functional integration between customary law and Islamic criminal law within indigenous Muslim communities.
References
A Amsori. “Legislasi Qanun Jinayat Aceh Dalam Sistem Hukum Nasional.” Ar-Raniry, International Journal of Islamic Studies 4, no. 2 (2020): 221–56.
Abdullah, Taufik. Islam dan masyarakat: pantulan sejarah Indonesia. Lembaga Penelitian, Pendidikan dan Penerangan Ekonomi dan Sosial, Jakarta: 1987.
Afandi, Fachrizal, and Ladito Risang Bagaskoro. “Islam and State’s Legal Pluralism.” Epistemé: Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Keislaman 19, no. 01 (June 2024): 1–26. https://doi.org/10.21274/epis.2024.19.01.1-26.
Al-Jurjānī. At-Ta’rīfāt. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah, 1985.
Al-Shaṭibī, Abu Isḥaq. Al-Muwāfaqāt Fī Uṣūl al-Sharī’Ah, Juz 2. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah, 2004.
Al-Shatibi, Ibrahim Ibn. The Reconciliation of the Fundamentals of Islamic Law: Al-Muwafaqat Fi Usul al-Shari’a. Translated by Imran Ahsan Khan Nyazee. Reading, UK: Garnet Publishing, 2012.
Al-Zuhaili, Wahbah. Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī Wa Adillatuh. Damascus: Dār al-Fikr, 1989.
Arifin, Zainal, Tutik Hamidah, Zaenul Mahmudi, and Abd Rouf. “Analysis of Maqasidiyyah on The Compilation of Islamic Law and The Egyptian Al-Wasiyah Law Regarding Wajibah Bequest From Ibn Ashur’s Perspective.” Muslim Heritage 10, no. 1 (June 2025): 15–30. https://doi.org/10.21154/muslimheritage.v10i1.10733.
’Awdah, ’Abd al-Qādir. Al-Tashrī’ al-Jinā’ī al-Islāmī, Juz 1. Beirut: Dār al-Kitāb al-’Arabī, 1994.
Bahri, Syamsul. “Pelaksanaan Syari’at Islam di Aceh Sebagai Bagian Wilayah Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI).” Jurnal Dinamika Hukum 12, no. 2 (May 2012): 358–67. https://doi.org/10.20884/1.jdh.2012.12.2.62.
Bakti, Ikrar Nusa. Beranda Perdamaian Tiga Tahun Pasca MoU Helsinki. 1st ed. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar, 2018.
Bastiar, Bastiar, Asmuni Asmuni, and Bukhari Bukhari. “Public Perception and Effectiveness of Punishment for Khalwat Perpetrators in Aceh.” Justicia Islamica 19, no. 1 (June 2022): 94–112. https://doi.org/10.21154/justicia.v19i1.3304.
Bedner, Adriaan, and Stijn van Huis. “Plurality of Marriage Law and Marriage Registration for Muslims in Indonesia: A Plea for Pragmatism.” Utrecht Law Review 6, no. 2 (June 2010). https://doi.org/10.18352/ulr.130.
Bowen, John R. Islam, Law, and Equality in Indonesia: An Anthropology of Public Reasoning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511615122.
Bungin, Burhan. Qualitative Research: Communication, Economics, Public Policy, and Other Social Sciences. Jakarta: Kencana Prenada Media, 2017.
Creswell, John W., and J. David Creswell. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE Publications, 2017.
Djawas, Mursyid, Abidin Nurdin, Muslim Zainuddin, Idham Idham, and Zahratul Idami. “Harmonization of State, Custom, and Islamic Law in Aceh: Perspective of Legal Pluralism.” Hasanuddin Law Review, May 1, 2024, 64–82. https://doi.org/10.20956/halrev.v10i1.4824.
Fahmi, Mutiara, Nurhayati Ali Hasan, Iskandar Usman, Amiruddin Abdullah, and Muhibuddin Hanafiyah. “Punishment for Zina Muḥṣān Offenders in Aceh Qanun No. 6 of 2014 in the Perspective of Fiqh al-Siyāsah.” Samarah: Jurnal Hukum Keluarga Dan Hukum Islam 6, no. 1 (June 2022): 346–68. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v6i1.13363.
Fauzah Nur Aksa, T. Saifullah, and Al Farabi. “The Implementation of Qanun Jinayat in Aceh.” Al-Ahkam: Jurnal Ilmu Syari’ah Dan Hukum 8, no. 1 (October 2023). https://doi.org/10.22515/alahkam.v8i1.5896.
Feener, R. Michael. “Engineering Transformations in the ‘Religion-Development Nexus’: Islamic Law, Reform, and Reconstruction in Aceh.” Religion 51, no. 1 (January 2021): 40–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/0048721X.2020.1792051.
———. Shari’a and Social Engineering: The Implementation of Islamic Law in Contemporary Aceh, Indonesia. OUP Oxford, 2013.
Feener, R. Michael, David Kloos, and Annemarie Samuels, eds. Islam and the Limits of the State: Reconfigurations of Practice, Community and Authority in Contemporary Aceh. Leiden Studies in Islam and Society, volume 3. Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2016.
Friedman, Lawrence M. The Legal System: A Social Science Perspective. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1975.
Fuad, Zainul, Surya Darma, and Muhibbuthabry Muhibbuthabry. “Wither Qanun Jinayat? The Legal and Social Developments of Islamic Criminal Law in Indonesia.” Cogent Social Sciences 8, no. 1 (December 2022): 2053269. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2022.2053269.
Galanter, Marc. “Justice in Many Rooms: Courts, Private Ordering, and Indigenous Law.” Journal of Legal Pluralism, 1981, 1–14.
Griffiths, John. “What Is Legal Pluralism?” The Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law 18, no. 24 (January 1986): 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/07329113.1986.10756387.
Hasbi, Yusrizal, Ferdy Saputra, Hadi Iskandar, Laila Muhammad Rasyid, and Harun Harun. “Criminalizing Women, Silencing Victims: Human Rights and Sharia Enforcement in Aceh.” De Jure: Jurnal Hukum Dan Syar’iah 17, no. 1 (June 2025): 175–203. https://doi.org/10.18860/j-fsh.v17i1.29635.
Hasni, Khairul. “Qanun Jinayat And Sharia Police: A New Violence In The Context Of Gender In Aceh, Indonesia.” Musãwa Jurnal Studi Gender Dan Islam 19, no. 2 (2020): 2. https://doi.org/10.14421/musawa.2020.192-187-203.
Hooker, M. B. Indonesian Syariah: Defining a National School of Islamic Law. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2008.
Hosen, Nadirsyah. “Sharia, State and Legal Pluralism in Indonesia: How Law Can You Go?” In Pluralism, Transnationalism and Culture in Asian Law: A Book in Honor of M.B. Hooker, edited by Gary F. Bell, 208–30. Books and Monographs. ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, 2017.
Ibn Faris, Abu al-Husayn Ahmad. Mu’jam Maqāyīs al-Lughah. Vol. 4. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1979.
Ibn Qudāmah. Al-Mughnī, Juz 9. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, n.d.
Ibn Rushd. Bidāyat Al-Mujtahid Wa Nihāyat al-Muqtaṣid. Vol. 2. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, n.d.
Khoyum, Adlian Aldita Alif Aisyah Ainur, Bertha Amilia, and Candra Hafidz Ardana. “Granting Inheritance to Extramarital Children in the Perspective of Islamic Law.” Contemporary Issues on Interfaith Law and Society 2, no. 1 (January 2023): 89–100. https://doi.org/10.15294/ciils.v2i1.66343.
Lukito, Ratno. Legal Pluralism in Indonesia: Bridging the Unbridgeable. Routledge, 2012.
MAA Aceh Tenggara. “Pedoman Penyelesaian Sengketa Adat Di Kabupaten Aceh Tenggara.” Kutacane: MAA Aceh Tenggara, 2023.
Madina, Dinda Difia, Zezen Zainul Ali, and Mega Puspita. “Aligning Islamic Law and Customary Law: Legal Dialectics in the Tradition of Forced Marriage in Jambi.” Justicia Islamica 20, no. 1 (June 2023): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.21154/justicia.v20i1.4720.
Mamonto, Dewi Fransiska, Selfrinda Rezkita Mahmud, Risnawati Utina, Geya Sukmawati, and Fahira Nadra Male. “The Evolution of Islamic Civil Law in Indonesia: Developments, Contemporary Challenges, and Future Directions.” Nusantara: Journal of Law Studies 3, no. 02 (December 2024): 147–58. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17385985.
Manan, Abdul, and Cut Intan Salasiyah. “Evaluating the Implementation of Sharia in Aceh, Indonesia.” Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun 9, no. 3 (September 2021): 549. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v9i3.593.
Moleong, Lexy J. Qualitative Research Methodology. Revised. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 2019.
Mudzhar, M. Atho. Islam and Islamic Law In Indonesia: A Socio-Historical Approach. Jakarta: Office of Religious Research and Development, 2003. Jakarta. //opac.dpr.go.id%2Findex.php%3Fp%3Dshow_detail%26id%3D21542%26keywords%3D.
Mulizar, Mulizar, Asmuni Asmuni, and Dhiauddin Tanjung. “Maqashid Sharia Perspective of Legal Sanction for Khalwat Actors in Aceh.” Al-Istinbath: Jurnal Hukum Islam 7, no. 1 May (May 2022): 161–82. https://doi.org/10.29240/jhi.v7i1.3587.
Mustafa, Bukhari, Bastiar, Sumiadi, and Husni. “Penerapan Hukuman Adat Terhadap Pelaku Jarimah Khalwat Di Aceh Tamiang.” Cendekia : Jurnal Hukum, Sosial Dan Humaniora 1, no. 1 (January 2023): 52–64. https://doi.org/10.70193/cendekia.v1i1.10.
Muzakkir. “The Effectiveness of Aceh’s Jinayat Qanun on Crime Rates in the Community in a Review of Legal Socialization.” Al-Manahij: Jurnal Kajian Hukum Islam, November 18, 2022, 255–68. https://doi.org/10.24090/mnh.v16i2.6643.
Nasrullah, Muhammad Alwan Zain Nusantara, and Bagaskara Yonar Farhansyah. “Analyzing the Implementation of Islamic Criminal Law in the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Within Its Sharia Court.” Law Review, October 7, 2025, 59–71. Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.19166/lr.v25i1.7225.
Nurlaelawati, Euis, and Stijn Cornelis van Huis. “The Status of Children Born Out of Wedlock and Adopted Children In Indonesia: Interactions Between Islamic, Adat, and Human Rights Norms.” Journal of Law and Religion 34, no. 3 (December 2019): 356–82. https://doi.org/10.1017/jlr.2019.41.
Otto, Jan Michiel. Sharia Incorporated. A Comparative Overview of the Legal Systems of Twelve Muslim Countries in Past and Present. Leiden: Leiden University Press, 2010.
Saldana, Johnny. Fundamentals of Qualitative Research. Understanding Qualitative Research. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.
Salim, Arskal. Challenging the Secular State: The Islamization of Law in Modern Indonesia. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2008.
Salman, Otje, and Anthon F. Susanto. Teori Hukum: Remembering, Collecting, and Reopening. Bandung: Refika Aditama, 2013.
Saputra, Jummaidi, Syahrizal Abbas, Mohd Din, and Syarifuddin Hasyim. “The Role Enforcement of Qanun Jinayat for Non-Muslims Who Commit Crimes (Islamic Sharia) Together with Muslims in Aceh, Indonesia.” Multidisciplinary Science Journal 8 (2026): 2026111–2026111. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026111.
Sahara, Siti, Syarifuddin Hasyim, Mohd. Din, and Iman Jauhari. “Legal Protection Against Victims of Domestic Violence: A Critical Study of Cultural Legitimacy In Aceh.” Petita: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Hukum dan Syariah 9, no. 2 (August 2024). https://doi.org/10.22373/petita.v9i2.263.
Southeast Aceh Syar’iyah Court Case Data 2024–2025, Jinayat Sector.
Southeast Aceh Syar’iyah Court Case Data for 2023, Jinayat Sector.
Sulaiman, M. Isa. Historis Tentang Peradilan Adat Di Aceh, Dalam Pedoman Adat Aceh, Peradilan Dan Hukum Adat. Banda Aceh: Lembaga Adat dan Kebudayaan Aceh (LAKA), 2002.
Tarigan, Azhari Akmal. “Ta’zir Dan Kewenangan Pemerintah Dalam Penerapannya.” AHKAM : Jurnal Ilmu Syariah 17, no. 1 (January 2017). https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v17i1.6223.
Tripa, Sulaiman. Wajah Hukum Lokal Baru: Studi Interaksi Hukum Negara Dan Hukum Adat Laut Dalam Pengelolaan Pesisir Berbasis Kearifan Lokal Di Aceh. Aceh: Bandar Publishing, 2019.
Village Customary Council (MAK) of Badar District, Recapitulation of Customary Case Resolution for 2024–2025.
Wati, Erna, and Tiara Rettina. “Inheritance Rights of Stepchildren in the Perspective of Compilation of Islamic Law.” MILRev: Metro Islamic Law Review 1, no. 2 (December 2022): 188–202. https://doi.org/10.32332/milrev.v1i2.6208.
Law No. 11 of 2006 concerning Aceh Governance
Qanun Aceh No. 6 of 2014 concerning Jinayat Law
Qanun Aceh No. 11 of 2002 concerning faith and worship
Qanun Aceh No. 12 of 2003 concerning the prohibition of alcohol
Qanun Aceh No. 13 of 2003 concerning gambling
Qanun Aceh No. 14 of 2003 concerning khalwat
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nur Mala Sari, Febiawan Suparman Mustar, Abdul Manan, Jailani Jailani, Cut Maya Aprita Sari
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Requirements to be met by the author as follows:
- Author storing copyright and grant the journal right of first publication manuscripts simultaneously with licensed under the CC BY-SA allows others to share the work with a statement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors can enter into the preparation of additional contractual separately for the non-exclusive distribution of a decadent version of the journal issue (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with the recognition of initial publication in this journal.
Authors are allowed and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process because it can lead to productive exchanges and citations earlier and more severe than published works. (see The Effect of Open Access).
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA.
