Indeed, Banda Aceh, the province’s capital, is currently led by Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal, the city’s first female mayor. Many activists for women’s rights say they supported her candidacy in hopes that she would be a progressive leader. The Shariah police loaded the competition’s trophies into a bag and escorted models out of the building. Today Aceh is one of Indonesia’s poorest provinces, with nearly one in five people believed to be living in poverty. “Many say that according to Shariah she must wear a jilbab, but it’s a historical fact that she didn’t wear one,” Mr. Irwan said.

Source: New York Times January 12, 2017 15:51 UTC