Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Indonesia jails Shia cleric for blasphemy...

An Indonesian court has sentenced a Shia cleric to two years' imprisonment for blasphemy. Tajul Muluk was said to have taught a deviation from mainstream Islam and had therefore caused "public anxiety".

Witnesses told the court that Muluk encouraged Muslims to pray three rather than five times a day, that the Qur'an was no longer authentic and that followers need not make the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which is considered one of the five pillars of Islam.

Members of Muluk's community said they were victims of a hate campaign waged by Islamist militants, and police had been unwilling to act on their behalf. Sunni militants had burned down houses including Muluk's and an Islamic school, and forced 500 residents to flee.

Human Rights Watch urged Indonesia to release Muluk and repeal its blasphemy laws, which it said posed a threat to religious freedom. It said Muluk's case was an example of a "growing trend of violence and legal action against religious minorities". Full story...

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