By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Newsunplug KenyaNewsunplug KenyaNewsunplug Kenya
  • News
    • Metro
    • Politics
    • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Spotify
Reading: Woman who recited Muslim prayer before trying pork on TikTok jailed
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Newsunplug KenyaNewsunplug Kenya
Font ResizerAa
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Spotify
  • News
    • Metro
    • Politics
    • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Spotify
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Newsunplug Kenya > Blog > Entertainment > Woman who recited Muslim prayer before trying pork on TikTok jailed
Entertainment

Woman who recited Muslim prayer before trying pork on TikTok jailed

new5nuke
Last updated: September 22, 2023 8:35 am
new5nuke 2 years ago
Share
SHARE

A Muslim woman has been sentenced to two years in prison under Indonesia’s blasphemy law over a video she shared on TikTok which showed her reciting an Islamic prayer before trying out pork while visiting the tourist island of Bali.

Lina Lutfiawati, known as Lina Mukherjee on social media, was tried on Tuesday in the Palembang district court on Sumatra island.

The 33-year-old was found guilty of “spreading information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups,” court documents read.

In addition to her two-year prison sentence, the court fined her $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 court added.

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, in comments carried by CNN affiliate, CNN Indonesia. It is possible that she will file an appeal, CNN Indonesia added.
Blasphemy cases on the rise

READ MORE  RIP: Vera Sidika mourns ‘little sister’ Aziza Frisby

Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim nation, where 231 million people, at least 93% of its adult population, identify as Muslim.

Religious conservatism has been on the rise in the country in recent years and rights groups have warned that blasphemy laws are being “increasingly weaponized” against religious minorities and those deemed to have insulted Islam.

Pork is forbidden in Islam and eating it remains taboo among most Indonesian Muslims. But the meat is commonly consumed by millions of non-Muslims, including the country’s ethnic Chinese population as well those living on the Hindu-majority island of Bali.

Mukherjee, who identifies as Muslim, commands a combined social media following of more than 2 million.

Known for her lifestyle and food videos showing her sampling various dishes, she received backlash over a video she shared on TikTok in March, which showed her sitting at a dining table and reciting the Islamic phrase “Bismillah” (In the name of Allah) before consuming crispy pork skin.

Bismillah is one of the most important and common holy phrases in Islam. It is the first phrase in the Quran and is often uttered by Muslims before eating. It is also frequently used as a generic declaration.

READ MORE  A woman is suing Netflix over the character of Baby Reindeer.

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 crackling.

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, which led to Mukherjee being prosecuted.

Photos and videos taken of Mukherjee throughout the trial and carried by CNN Indonesia often showed her in tears and accompanied by a heavy security presence.

“She’s done nothing wrong but it says a lot about (the state of) Indonesia… how a self-proclaimed moderate Muslim country is becoming a radicalized Muslim nation,” Human Rights Watch’s Indonesia researcher Andreas Harsono told CNN.

“The blasphemy chapter in the criminal code has been increased from one to six articles – a serious setback to protecting freedom of religion and belief in Indonesia,” he added.

READ MORE  Samidoh’s wife Edday is pregnant, expecting 4th baby

“It bucks a global trend to either not enforce blasphemy laws or to scrap them altogether.”

One of Indonesia’s most high-profile blasphemy cases was that of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Indonesian politician widely known as Ahok who served as Jakarta’s first non-Muslim governor in 50 years.

He went on trial for blasphemy in 2017 after angering hard-line Muslims by referencing a verse from the Quran while campaigning for re-election in 2016 and was jailed for two years despite making a public apology.

You Might Also Like

‘He was such a nice guy’ – Betty Kyallo comes clean about dating Joho

A K-pop singer will testify about bullying in the music industry.

Former Sol Generation Artist Crystal Asige On Relationship With Sauti Sol

Drama as LADY storms a popular Kisumu nightclub in a Dera and beats up her husband like a burukenge for entertaining slay queens (VIDEO)

Innocent man who was wrongly jailed for 17 years for a r@pe he didn’t commit is told he might have to pay for his years of prison food and accommodation if he wins compensation

Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Previous Article Zambia find shows humans have built with wood for 476,000 years
Next Article Portugal: Sanusi doubtful for Porto’s home clash against Gil Vicente
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

about us

We influence 20 million users and is the number one business and technology news network on the planet.

Recent Posts

  • “Y’all can’t stand how hard I step?” – Rapper, Cardi B fires back after edited photos spark backlash
  • Confusion after MCSK disowns notice saying Ezekiel Mutua out as CEO
  • Europa League: Amorim singles out two Man Utd players after Athletic Bilbao win
  • Blow to 4 suspects in murder of Kasipul MP Charles Were as court dismisses jurisdiction application
  • Kenya and UAE sign 7 MoUs to strengthen bilateral ties

Recent Comments

No comments to show.
Newsunplug KenyaNewsunplug Kenya
© Newsunplug Kenya. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?