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Banda Aceh. More than 1,000 people gathered on Friday in Pidie Jaya to watch the district’s first public canings for violations of Islamic law.

Kuswandi bin Yunus, 35, and Zuraida binti Bagindo Ilyas, 30, each received eight lashes for carrying on an extramarital affair, as a crowd of 1,500 watched outside Pante Geulima Mosque in Meureudu, the district capital.

“Both are married but they still chose to cheat,” said Syamsuddin, from the Wilayatul Hisbah, or Shariah Police.

He said Kuswandi and Zuraida had violated qanun , or Islamic bylaw, No. 14, passed in 2003, which carries a maximum penalty of nine strokes of the cane and a minimum of three.

Syamsuddin said the crowd jeered as the two walked onto the specially erected stage to receive their punishment.

He said the crowd “waited patiently” to witness the canings, which took place nearly two hours after Friday prayers.

“I am assuming that since these were the first [canings] in Pidie Jaya, lots of people wanted to watch,” Syamsuddin said.

Three other people were caned for gambling. They were identified as Zulkifli bin Yusuf, 40; Ibrahim bin M Thayeb, 37; and Nasir bin Sarong, 40.

Zulkifli received eight lashes of the cane, while the other two received seven strokes each.

All three were found to have violated qanun No. 13, which carries a maximum punishment of 12 strokes of the cane and a minimum of six, Syamsuddin said.

He added that another person — identified as Abdullah bin M. Thayeh, 35 — was supposed to have been caned on Friday.

“There needs to be one more person up here. Abdullah needs to be lashed but he is currently away, in Banda Aceh. When he returns, he will receive his punishment,” Syamsuddin said, without elaborating on the reason Abdullah had been sentenced to caning.

In early June, three of 21 men caught gambling were publicly caned in Jantho, Aceh Besar district. The men were identified as lMukhtar Rahmadi, 29, Suherman, 32, and Hasbi bin Acek, 45, all farmers in the district.

The caning, ordered by the Jantho Shariah Court, drew hundreds of onlookers, one of whom shouted, “Good for you!” as Mukhtar received his lashes. Mukhtar was heard replying: “What’s so good about that?”

The canings in June were the second time the punishment had been carried out in the deeply Islamic province this year.