Blasphemy law in Indonesia
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Blasphemy law in Indonesia (Indonesian: Undang-undang Penistaan Agama) is the legislation, presidential decrees, and ministerial directives that prohibit blasphemy in Indonesia.
Blasphemy laws in the country have been adapted from the statutes of the Dutch East Indies, criminalizing those who deviate from the religious tenets of one of Indonesia's six official religions (Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism); from Presidential decrees, and been encouraged in the 21st century by "ascendant Islamic conservatives ... pushing hard-line policies."[1]
As the overwhelming majority of Indonesians (almost 90%) are Muslims, most blasphemy cases and convictions in recent years have been for blasphemy against Islam. Since the early 2000s, Blasphemy prosecutions and convictions have risen in the country,[1] but been criticized (by Amnesty International) for targeting religious minority groups and Islamic dissenters.[2] Among the acts that have led to incarceration include reciting Muslim prayers in the Indonesian language;[3] using "paranormal healing methods" in drug and cancer treatment;[3] complaining about the volume of a mosque loudspeaker issuing call to prayer near the perpetrator's home;[4] eating pork rinds in a social media video;[2][1] serving free alcohol beverages for customers whose names were Muhammad and Maria.[5]