This Indonesian TikToker Has Been Jailed For Two Years For Eating Pork After Reciting An Islamic Prayer
33-year-old Indonesian TikToker Lina Mukherjee was found guilty of “inciting hate” against religion for eating pork skin.
An Indonesian woman TikToker has been sentenced to two years in prison for posting a TikTok video in which she recited an Islamic phrase before eating pork.
33-year-old Lina Lutfiawati, known as Lina Mukherjee on TikTok, was found guilty of “inciting hate” against religion and was fined 250 million rupiah (USD$16,245).
In the video she posted in March, she said “Bismillah” – which means “in the name of god” – before eating crispy pork skin. Indonesia is one of the largest Muslim-majority countries, and eating pork is strictly prohibited in Islam.
The TikToker said she was traveling in Bali, the only place in Indonesia with a majority Hindu population, and she tried pork just out of curiosity.
The video gained millions of views, and many criticized her for “knowingly eating pork skin” as a Muslim. Many conservative groups across the country also called the video blasphemous.
Police charged Lutfiawati in May for disseminating hateful information, saying it was an act of hostility over ethnicity, religion and race, according to BBC.
Rights groups and activists criticized her jail sentence and said the blasphemy laws have been frequently misused to target religious minorities.
Last year, Indonesian police arrested six people for promoting free alcohol – also prohibited in Islam – for customers named Mohammed.
