A woman has been sentenced to two years in prison for a viral TikTok video in which she filmed herself eating pork while traveling in Bali, Indonesia.
Lina Lutfiawati, who goes by Lina Mukherjee, recited an Islamic phrase before eating crispy pork skin on camera.
Eating pork is strictly prohibited in Islam and Islam is the dominant religion in Indonesia.
The 33-year-old, who identifies as Muslim, has more than 2 million followers on the social media platform.
Mukherjee said she tried the pork out of curiosity, according to the BBC, which also reported that she was traveling in Bali at the time the video was filmed.
Although Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country, the majority of the population on the popular holiday island of Bali identify as Hindu.
In the video, Mukherjee can be heard saying “Bismillah”, which means “in the name of God” in Arabic.
This week, a court in Palembang, South Sumatra, sentenced her to two years in prison after she was found guilty of “disseminating information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups,” AFP reported.
She was also fined $16,269.22 and, if not paid, her jail term could be extended by three months.
Mukherjee was exposed in the video in March and charged by police in May.
His actions were condemned by conservative groups, including the country’s highest Muslim religious body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, which issued a ruling calling the video blasphemous.
Mukherjee’s TikTok is the latest in a series of blasphemy cases in the country.
Last year, Indonesian police arrested six people for blasphemy after a bar advertised free alcohol for patrons named Mohammed.
Drinking alcohol is prohibited in Islam.
The former governor of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok, was jailed for almost two years on controversial blasphemy charges in 2017.
Purnama, a Christian, was convicted for comments he made on the campaign trail during a re-election campaign that accused him of insulting Islam.
He was the first non-Muslim governor of Jakarta in 50 years.
NNt
