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A Muslim woman was sentenced to two years in prison for consuming pork


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    An Indonesian Muslim woman who recited a prayer before eating pork has been sentenced to two years in jail under the country's blasphemy law.

    Pork is forbidden in Islam and eating it is taboo in Muslim countries including Indonesia where at least 93 per cent of the population identify as Muslim.

    A video shared on TikTok showed the woman reciting the Islamic phrase 'Bismillah' before trying out pork at a tourist site on Bali island with a grimace on her face.

    Bismillah is a common holy phrase in Islam usually uttered by Muslims before eating.

    CNN reports that Lina Lutfiawati, who calls herself Lina Mukherjee on social media, went on trial on Tuesday in the Palembang district court on Sumatra island.

    Lina, 33, was found guilty of "spreading information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups".

    Besides the jail sentence, she was slapped with a $16,245 (Sh2,394,513) equivalent to 250,000,000 Indonesian rupiah failure to which her jail term will be extended by three months.

    The amount is, however, a small token in a country where the annual per capita wage is around $4,300 (Sh633,820). 

    "I know I was wrong but I really did not expect this punishment," she said, in comments carried by CNN affiliate, CNN Indonesia.

    Lina commands a huge following of two million people across her social media accounts and is known for posting herself sampling various delicacies.

    She shot the video that got her in trouble in March sitting at a dining table before reciting "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah) before taking a bite of crispy pork skin.

    The act attracted condemnation from religious groups in Indonesia, including the country’s top Muslim clerical body, Ulema Council, which issued a ruling calling it "blasphemous."

    Sources


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