An Indonesian court has handed down a 2-year prison sentence to Lina Lutfiawati, a TikTok influencer, for posting a video in which she uttered an Islamic phrase before consuming pork, Reuters reports.
Lutfiawati, who identifies as Muslim, was found guilty of "inciting hatred" against religious individuals and groups. In addition to the jail term, she also encounters a fine of $16,245, with the possibility of an extended sentence if the fine is not paid. This case is the latest in a series of controversial irreligion law cases in Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Lutfiawati, who goes by the name Lina Mukherjee due to her love for Bollywood movies, has a significant following on TikTok, with over 2 mn followers. She also operates a business in India.
The video in question was posted in March while Lutfiawati was in Bali, a popular tourist destination in Indonesia with a Hindu majority population. In the video, she said "Bismillah," an Arabic phrase meaning "in the name of God," before consuming crispy pork skin out of curiosity.
The video garnered millions of views and sparked widespread criticism, leading to a report being filed against Lutfiawati for "knowingly eating pork skin as a Muslim."
Police charged her in May with disseminating hateful information and cited it as an act of hostility based on ethnicity, religion, and race. Various conservative groups, including Indonesia's top Muslim clerical body, the Ulema Council, deemed the video blasphemous.
Shared opinion on Lutfiawati's sentencing has been divided on Indonesian social media. While many have praised the judge's decision and condemned her actions as sinful, others have criticized the length of her jail term, citing lower sentences for corruption cases. Human rights organizations and activists in Indonesia have long criticized the misuse of blasphemy laws to target religious minorities. Previous claims, such as the arrest of 6 individuals for promoting free alcohol to customers named Mohammed and the imprisonment of former Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama for insulting Islam, have drawn similar scrutiny.
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