A loving legislator was beaten with a stick in accordance with his own law

It is known that everyone is equal before the law. There is also unverified information that anti-corruption fighters take bribes, and the champions of morality "go to the left." Just such a case happened the other day in Indonesia, the most populous Islamic country. There, an official who drafted laws on the protection of marriage and family was flogged with a bamboo stick for a love affair.

Mukhlis bin Mohammed from the Islamic Ulema Council of the Indonesian province of Aceh, was caressed by the executioner with a stick 28 times. That's how much the guilty person himself measured out to those who are caught in adultery. Bin Mohammed's mistress was given 23 blows, making a small discount on her weaker sex.

Aceh Province is the only region of Indonesia where people try to live in full compliance with Sharia law. In most cases, it is not the secular authorities who deal with crimes related to family and morality, but the spiritual ones, while the measures to prevent such crimes are developed by the ulema council, which includes highly moral and deeply religious people.

The legislator, who previously had an impeccable reputation and great authority, was caught with his mistress in a car near the city beach, one might say, red-handed. Mr. Husaini Wahab, Deputy mayor of Aceh Besar district, told BBC News Indonesia in an interview that he was deeply outraged by his colleague's act.

This is how the deputy mayor explained the decision to flog the once respected official. It is worth mentioning that adultery is not the only crime for which sticks can be prescribed in Aceh province. The law, kindly developed by Mukhlis bin Mohammed, also covers same-sex relationships, gambling, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

It must be said that Indonesia has rather soft laws protecting the canons of faith and the morality of citizens. In many countries, violators of norms, for example, homosexuals, face serious prison sentences or even the death penalty.