This Indonesian female cycling club have been forced to apologise and agree to religious retraining after they were found in violation of sharia law for wearing revealing pink tops that showed “female curves” in a photo from a recent trip.
The female cyclists from Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh caused a huge online stir when images of them wearing clothing regarded as “too tight” were widely circulated on social media.
In an accompanying video on their page, the cyclists are also seen waving and blowing kisses to the camera while wearing a long-sleeved pink top and black sports bottoms.
According to reports, the group consists of at least 10 women and one man who is believed to be the tour leader.
However, their uniform was criticised as “revealing” and “sexy” by local media while most of their women were pictured not wearing hijabs.
Mayor of Banda Aceh City, Aminullah Usman, said that he received a formal complaint about the cycling group.
The mayor reportedly told the Public Order Agency and the Wilayatul Hisbah, the supervisory agency for the implementation of sharia law in the province, to track down the women and apprehend them.
Usman said: “This city implements Islamic law, every guest who comes here must respect and obey the rules that exist in the city. Even if the guests are from non-Muslim groups, they have to respect the norms in Aceh.”
The mayor also said that the women who violated sharia law will be provided with religious counselling.
The Qanun (sharia legal statute) in Aceh says that women must dress in clothing that sufficiently covers their private parts without showing the body’s curves.
Indonesian women`s cycling club in hot water because of sexy clothes 
Indonesian women`s cycling club in hot water because of sexy clothes
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that imposes sharia law, part of a 2005 autonomy deal with the government to end a decades-long separatist movement.
Since then, the province has become famous for its strict punishments, including flogging residents for drinking alcohol and engaging in adultery or pre-marital sex, according to reports.
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Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
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