The Tradition of Quran Recitation in Aceh

Abstract

The authorization for Aceh province to implement Islamic Shari'awas juridically set in the constitution No. 44 (1999) on the Implementation of Aceh as the special region or the autonomous region which includes religious life, custom, education, and establishment of regional policy to Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. Furthermore, Governor of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province authorized 2 qanuns (local regulation related to governance and society) which serve as foundation for Islamic shari’a.- Qanun No. 10 (2002) concerned on shari’a court and Qanun No. 11 (2002) concerned on shari’a implementation (belief, worship, and Islamic syiar). This regulation might distinguish the cultural life, religious tradition, social interaction, and religious foundation of Aceh people. The standard is how the people understand and explore the religion through the foundation of religion (Quran) itself, for example; the local government policy on provincial and district level requiring a test to read the Qur’an for the leader candidate in various elections such as Candidates for Governors, Regents, Mayors, Legislative Members, even the election of the village head. This reading Qur’an test policy is now also applied for students who will enter to new educational institution, for example. Therefore, this study tries to describe qualitatively the socio-religious phenomena of Acehnese bounded in the regional qanun, which affect the public trust at the national and even international level. Based on observation and interview, the study found that even though the Quran has been taken as the good life foundation for Aceh people, the tradition of Quran recitation is still just a religious tradition that has not been fully understood. Moreover, this tradition exists on certain social levels and certain local communities.