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The move comes after leaders from the country's only province ruled by strict sharia law drafted a series of new bills including banning women from wearing tight trousers, stoning adulterers and flogging homosexuals.
Under the new law, women in Lhokseumawe city, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, will have to sit "side-saddle" with their legs dangling off to one side.
"Women sitting on motorbikes must not sit astride because it will provoke the male driver. It's also to protect women from an undesirable condition," mayor Suaidi Yahya said.
"It's improper for women to sit astride. We implement Islamic law here."
Women are allowed to straddle motorbikes if the are driving, as long as they are dressed "in a Muslim way", Yahya said.
The mayor plans to publicise the ban in coming weeks and will discuss sanctions with local Muslim clerics before issuing a formal regulation.
Indonesia is the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation, but most practise a moderate form of Islam.
Aceh began implementing sharia law after it was granted special autonomy in 2001. The province now regularly canes people caught gambling or drinking alcohol.
It is appreciated law. all muslim nation must implement the islamic law than crime will be reduced.
what crime will be reduced? wat can a woman sitting from behind a man do with a man :) ... the mayor must be jealous guy...
God has never forbidden women. God create men & women not religion. All the religions say good things only. It is we who created the religions but unfortunately misunderstood the main basics of them or misrepresented by certain followers like priets/imams etc or having misconception which leads to all the problems.
Aceh, unfortunately, is doing a backward march to the dark ages in spite impressive progress on women's right elsewhere in Indonesia. The same can be said of the Taliban and the Al-Qaedah.
why only ban women sitting astride bikes, ban women altogether, kill or exile them, then no problem for all the excited males of Aceh, what about death by stoning for the Aceh pirates who terorised Mallaca straits
