Sophia Michaels
A 33-year-old Muslim woman has been handed a two-year jail term in Indonesia after she shared a video on TikTok reciting an Islamic prayer before trying out pork meat during a visit to the tourist island of Bali.
Lina Lutfiawati, known as Lina Mukherjee on social media, was tried on Tuesday, September 19 in the Palembang district court on Sumatra island.
She was found guilty of “spreading information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups,” court documents read.
She was sentenced to a two-year prison term and fined $16,245 (250,000,000 Indonesian rupiah), a small fortune in a country where the annual per capita wage is around $4,300. Her jail term could be extended by three months if she does not pay the fine.
The video, which Mukherjee said had been filmed when she was traveling in Bali, featured her trying babi guling, a popular street food of rice and chunks of spit-roasted pork and crackling served with vegetables.
She speaks into the camera and grimaces as she tries a piece of pork.
The video drew millions of views but was condemned by religious groups, including the Indonesian Ulema Council, the country’s top Muslim clerical body, which issued a ruling calling it “blasphemous.”
It also prompted a public complaint which sparked police investigations and the court trial.
Speaking to reporters outside court on Tuesday after the trial, Mukherjee expressed shock at the sentence.
“I know I was wrong but I really did not expect this punishment,” she said,
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim nation, where 231 million people which is about 93% of its adult population, identify as Muslim. The country has one of the strongest ‘blasphemy’ laws in the world.
See Video Below;
Ada Indonesia guys … 🥲
Lina Mukherjee pic.twitter.com/JNNuUltAZF
— 🌸 Bebeb Bubu 🌸 (@NyaiiBubu) September 21, 2023
