An influential Muslim woman on social media has been sentenced to two years in prison in Indonesia for sharing a TikTok video that showed her reciting an Islamic prayer before tasting pork during a visit to Bali.
Lina Lutfiawati, also known as Lina Mukherjee on social media, was judged on Tuesday, September 19, by the Palembang District Court on the island of Sumatra. She was found guilty of “disseminating information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups,” according to court documents. She was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $16,245 (250,000,000 Indonesian rupiahs), a significant sum in a country where the average annual income per capita is approximately $4,300. Her prison sentence could be extended by three months if she does not pay the fine.
The incriminated video, recorded during Lina Lutfiawati’s visit to Bali, showed her enjoying “babi guling,” a popular street dish consisting of rice, roasted pork skewers, and crackers, served with vegetables. The video spread rapidly online and garnered criticism from religious groups, including the Indonesian Ulema Council, the country’s highest Islamic religious authority, which deemed it “blasphemous.” This led to a police investigation and Lina Lutfiawati’s trial.
After the trial, Mukherjee expressed her shock at the sentence in a statement to reporters outside the court. “I know I was wrong, but I really didn’t expect such punishment,” she said.
As a reminder, Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim country, with approximately 231 million people, nearly 93% of its adult population, identifying as Muslims. The nation has one of the strictest “blasphemy” laws in the world.
