294 islam, politics and change
serve as the basis or conceptual footing for internal cultural critique.
Images of violence and piety are powerful signifiers when it comes to
stating the substance of Acehnese ethnic identity, yet they are also highly
contested within Acehnese society, and in order to understand their
effects it is crucial to ask how they are employed, by whom, and why.
In some situations they may indeed be used to magnify the difference
from ‘others’. In other situations they may lead to reflection, and raise or