ISLAMICA: Jurnal Studi Keislaman
Vol. 20 No. 2 (2026): March

Between Sport, Entertainment, and Gambling: Regulating Domino under Sharia-Based Qanun of Aceh

Faisal, Faisal (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
22 May 2026

Abstract

This article examines the legal contestation surrounding me’en batee, the Acehnese term for domino, within Aceh’s Sharia-based local legal order. While me’en batee is often practiced as social entertain­ment, it is also associated with gambling, wasted time, public disorder, and neglect of religious obligations. The issue has become more com­plex as domino is increasingly framed as an organized sport when played without betting. Using normative juridical research with socio-legal sensitivity, this article analyzes statutory materials, Aceh’s qanun, Islamic legal concepts, academic literature, and selected public dis­courses. It argues that the problem of me’en batee is not a complete legal vacuum, since gambling and maysir are already regulated under national law and Qanun Aceh No. 6 of 2014. The main issue is nor­mative ambiguity: how to distinguish entertainment, sport, and pro­hibited gambling. The article proposes a proportional qanun-based regulatory model that is preventive and regulatory rather than merely punitive, aiming to protect Sharia-based public order while avoiding overcriminalization.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

islamica

Publisher

Subject

Religion Education

Description

ISLAMICA: Journal of Islamic Studies is a biannually published journal in March and September. It covers various issues on the Islamic studies within such number of fields as Islamic education, Islamic thought, Islamic law, political Islam, and Islamic economics from social and cultural ...