Two Years Prison Sentence for Saying ‘Bismillah’ Before Eating Pork
An Indonesian court sentenced a woman to two years in prison for saying “Bismillah” before eating pork.
“Luthfiawati” was sentenced by an Indonesian court to two years in prison and ordered to pay 16,262 dollars for eating pork and using the word “Bismillah” before consuming it.
A video was posted on the social network “TikTok” showing Luthfiawati (Lina Mukherjee) saying “Bismillah” before eating pork in the video. The video received massive views and widespread reactions, prompting the Indonesian court to sentence her to two years in prison and a fine of 16,262 dollars on charges of “inciting religious hatred.”
After the trial, Luthfiawati expressed remorse on social media and said: “I am shocked. I have apologized many times, and I actually know I made a mistake, but I did not expect the court’s sentence to be two years in prison.”
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, where eating pork is forbidden according to Islamic law. The charge of “inciting religious hatred” is part of laws against insulting religious sanctities, which critics of the Indonesian government describe as restricting freedom of speech.
“Usman Hamid,” Executive Director of Amnesty International for Indonesian affairs, commented on this: “What happened to Lina, despite the government’s promises to protect freedom of speech, is not surprising. These laws are also used to target religious minorities such as Christians.”
It is worth noting that “Basuki Tjahaja Purnama,” the Christian Governor of Jakarta, was also sentenced to two years in prison in 2017 for allegedly insulting religious sanctities by citing a Quranic verse during an election campaign speech.
