A group of political parties in the Indonesian parliament are seeking an all-out ban on alcohol, including the production, distribution and sale of it in the country, which has the largest Muslim population in the world.
The new proposal by Muslim parties in the parliament comes as the same factions have become excessively stricter in their views on alcohol, according to the Economist.
Under an even further-reaching prohibition, individuals who drink alcohol would be faced with two years in jail, while producers and distributors would be punished as well.
The parties pushing the ban, which is not likely to pass parliament, see beer and other beverages as an “import from the decadent West,” as the Economist notes, having major disdain for the way Westerners live.
Even without a total ban on alcohol throughout the country, Muslims parties have already enacted local bans on alcohol in regions that they control locally.
For instance, in the area of Aceh, alcohol has been banned since 2005 after Muslim politicians claimed that such beverages were causing a health crisis, a similar strategy to their push for a national ban.
It is not just alcohol that Islamist parties are targeting.
The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), a state-sponsored clerical group, has been behind resolutions condemning gay partnerships throughout the country and even denouncing the wearing of Santa Claus hats.
Despite the resolutions not being actual national law, vigilante groups continue to target gays and sometimes Christians in the country because of the MUI’s stances.
The Indonesian parliament does have anti-pornography laws on the books, which some are now trying to interpret as laws against extramarital sex.
Extreme Muslim parties are also using anti-blasphemy laws more than usual, specifically against the Governor of Jakarta, who is a Christian.
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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