Freedom of choice is something that many of us take for granted, but there are many people on this planet that do not have the luxury to choose. To be a punk in certain parts of Indonesia means it’s ok for Sharia police to bash in your head and then shave it to set you free from your punk demons. Many of us saw the pictures of the of the Aceh punks being brutalized for their way of life. Now check out this very interesting documentary that Vice just created entitled PUNK vs. SHARIA.
Indonesia’s punk scene is one of the biggest and most vibrant in the world. It’s a place where the country’s silenced youth can revolt against endemic corruption, social conventions, and their strict families. But in the world’s largest Islamic nation, political authorities and religious fundamentalists persecute this rebellious youth movement.
Nowhere is the anti-punk sentiment stronger than in Aceh—Indonesia’s only Sharia province—where 65 punks were arrested and detained at an Islamic moral training camp in which they had their heads shaved and clothes burnt. We traveled to North Sumatra to track down the last punks in Aceh, who still live under constant threat from the Sharia police…Vice
