Penerapan Qanun Aceh Nomor 14 Tahun 2003 Tentang Khalwat (Mesum) (Studi Kasus Penerapan Syariat Islam di Kota Subulussalam)

This paper discusses the implementation of Aceh’s Qanun (theregional law) Number 14 of 2003 on khalwat (mesum/adultery) inSubulussalam city. The current study aims to explain the strategies todeal with the cases of khlawat in Aceh. It was field and library researchby carrying out qualitative method and socio-legal-historic approach.The research findings reveal that the cases of khlawat could be solvedthrough the pivotal roles of the local customary court (MahkamahAdat) and Islamic court (Mahkamah Syar’iyah). The roles arose anuncertainty in handling the cases, particularly for the law enforcementagencies (WH, police officers, prosecutors, and the MahkamahSyar’iyah). Additionally, the Acehnese Qanun Number 9 of 2008 onthe preservation of customary law has explicitly established theproblem-solving of lawsuit and its mechanism in an exclusive chapter.The Article 13 Section 1 in this Qanun asserts that the types oflawsuit/dispute of local customs consist of 18 issues. Khalwat is one ofthe involved issues, and the Mahkamah Adat is the authorized partyconcerning the issue. Keywords: Aceh, Islamic Law, Khalwat, Jinayat