90 women detained in Indonesia for inappropriate dress - 21 September, 2005 - News

Dozens of Indonesian women were detained Wednesday for either failing to don head scarves or wearing clothes considered too tight - another indication that authorities in Aceh province are serious about implementing Islamic law.

The 89 women, ages 15 to 40, were detained in the town of Sigli during a joint operation between the police and religious officials ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan.

The women were held for about an hour and given counseling on appropriate dress before being released, he said.

The sweep is one of the largest since 2001 when authorities in the conservative province imposed Islamic law, which is based on the Muslim holy book Quran and the collected sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

The laws - which among other things ban alcohol and require women to cover their heads - have been increasingly enforced since the Dec. 26 tsunami that killed 131,000 people in the province and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

Since January, Aceh authorities have publicly flogged 15 men for gambling offenses and detained 36 young men and women for violating laws prohibiting unmarried couples from spending time alone together after dark, the AP reports.