Agence France-Presse
An Indonesian court has sentenced a woman to two years in prison and handed her a heavy fine after she recited an Islamic prayer before eating pork in a viral TikTok video widely criticized in the Muslim-majority country.
Lina Mukherjee, 33, was found guilty of “spreading information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups” at a court on Tuesday in the South Sumatra city of Palembang, according to the verdict.
It came after a resident reported Mukherjee in March for the video, that amassed millions of views, in which she uttered a Muslim prayer that translates to “in the name of God”, before consuming crispy pork skin.
Pork is forbidden under Islam, which is the dominant religion in Indonesia.
Mukherjee identifies as a Muslim and her actions were condemned by conservative groups including the country’s top Muslim clerical body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, which issued a ruling calling the video blasphemous.
She was also fined 250 million rupiah ($16,200) for which her jail term would be extended by three months if it was not paid.
This is the latest in a string of blasphemy cases in the country.
Last year Indonesian police arrested six people on charges of blasphemy over a bar chain’s free alcohol promotion for patrons named Mohammed.
Rights groups have long campaigned against the laws they say are frequently misused to target religious minorities.
Jakarta’s ex-governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, was jailed for nearly two years on controversial blasphemy charges in 2017.
Purnama, a Christian, was jailed for comments he made on the campaign trail during a re-election bid that saw him accused of insulting Islam. – gb