A TikToker has been jailed for two years in Indonesia over a video which shows her saying a Muslim prayer before eating pork.

Lina Lutfiawati, who has more than two million followers on the platform, was convicted of inciting hate ‘based on religion’ – a violation of the south-east Asian country’s strict blasphemy laws.

In March, she posted a TikTok from the island of Bali where she is heard saying ‘Bismillah’ – meaning ‘in the name of God’ – before biting into crispy pork skin.

The influencer, who identifies as Muslim, said she had tried the meal in the tourist hotspot out of curiosity.

In the video, she is seen screwing her face up in disgust as she chews.

The clip prompted uproar in Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, as the consumption of pork is forbidden in Islam.

Another Indonesian reported Ms Lutfiawati, 33, to the police for ‘knowingly eating pork skin as a Muslim’, and she was charged in May.

On Tuesday, a court in the city of Palembang on Sumatra found she had deliberately ‘spread information that was intended to incite hate or individual/group enmity based on religion’.

he was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of 250 million rupiah (£13,155). Her jail sentence could be extended by three months if she does not pay.

Speaking to local news station MetroTV after the trial, Ms Lutfiawati said: ‘I know that I am wrong but I did not expect this punishment.’

The blasphemy law used to charge her has long been criticised by human rights groups and activists in Indonesia, who say it often targets religious minorities.

Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said the law has been abused in order to crush dissent.

He said: ‘It contravenes Indonesia’s international obligations in relation to respect and protection for freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, freedom of opinion and expression.’

Last year, six employees of a bar and restaurant chain in the capital Jakarta were charged with blasphemy over a promotion offering a free bottle of gin for men named Mohammad every Thursday.

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Craig Munro

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