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Lubna Ahmed Al Hussein is not a household name in Indonesia. Not many people anywhere in the world knew of this female Sudanese journalist until earlier this month, when her name hit the headlines for her courage to challenging her government by refusing to admit that she committed a crime.

She was charged with breaking a law that forbids women from wearing clothes that cause "public uneasiness" - she was wearing a blouse and trousers in a restaurant in Khartoum.

Wearing trousers in public is considered indecent for a woman under the strict interpretation of sharia law adopted by the Sudanese regime, and the penalty for being caught is a flogging.

While ten women who were caught with Lubna immediately admitted guilt and were fined 250 Sudanese pounds (US$120) and flogged two days later at a police station, Lubna and two others decided to go on trial to challenge the law, which she believes is archaic and oppressive.

Sadly, in some parts of the world, people still must fight for the most basic personal rights that many of us take for granted.

Its good that Indonesia is not Sudan. Home to the world's largest Muslim population, Indonesia is not a country based on religion but a democratic state with a constitution guaranteeing freedom of belief and expression.

But while we proudly say that we live in a democratic country, unfortunately, a vocal radical fringe, led by some extremist groups in the society who openly or implicitly try to destabilize the state ideology and Indonesian unity, is increasingly pulling the country in a more conservative direction.

In July this year, one of these groups organized a meeting in Jakarta attended by no less than 7,000 members and delegates from Indonesia and other countries, to call for the creation of a unified Caliphate spanning the entire Islamic world.

The government did nothing to prevent or stop the meeting of the group, whose goal is to overthrow the Indonesian ideology of Pancasila. The reluctance of the government to nullify some 600 sharia-based and inspired by-laws passed by local governments is another blow to democracy.

Even though Aceh is so far the only province fully governed under sharia law, at least 50 regencies in 16 of Indonesia's 33 provinces have now implemented sharia-based by-laws, including dress codes for women.

In Padang municipality for example, both Muslim and non-Muslim female students are required to wear a hijab (headscarf) on certain days. We also remember the wrongful arrests of female night-shift workers at a factory in Tangerang, who were charged with prostitution under a law that forbids women from walking alone on the street after 10 p.m.

Not only do such laws undermine democracy, they impact unfairly on women and minority groups, violate the pluralism guaranteed by our constitution and are also dangerous for national integration.

If sharia-based laws are allowed in Indonesia, can other areas with a large population of other religions implement Christian, Buddhist or Hindu laws?

Criticism of the laws has not only been voiced by members of religious minorities. The voices of moderate Islamic organizations, like the Muhammadiyah and NU are loud and clear: They support pluralism in line with Pancasila and do not support sharia by-laws, which they argue will just lead to disintegration.

Indeed, the Koran supports pluralism: "The Prophet Muhammad was sent as a mercy on humankind and not to force people to compel (Chapter 3: verse 164, Chapter 21: verse 107, Chapter 50: verse 45). Persuasion is the very principle of Islam, and not to force. "There is no compulsion in religion" (Chapter 2 verse 256). "Humankind is created into many tribes, races and nations. Humankind speaks many languages and is of many colors and that is to get know each other." (Chapter 49: verse13, Chapter 30: verse 22)."

Citizenship in Indonesia is based on nationality, not religious beliefs. The independence of Indonesia was the result of efforts by all members of the nation from different ethnicities and religions.

Should we forget and ignore the sacrifice of those who fought for our nation, and risk fighting and violence following the adaptation of a new ideology which doesn't reflect our local values?

I hope Lubna Ahmed Al-Husein wins her case on Sept. 7, because the issue is not just about women wearing pants; it is about women's rights and human rights. I hope also that Indonesia will always support and strengthen democracy.

The writer is an alumnae of University of East Anglia, England (MA in Development Studies), currently living in Bangkok.