A politician in Indonesia was found guilty of spreading false information and was sentenced to five months in prison for a series of tweets that include one that reads “your Allah is weak.”
The Central Jakarta District Court found Ferdinand Hutahaean of the Democratic Party guilty of “spreading false information that triggers civil disturbance.”
“The defendant as a public figure has failed to set an example in the community,” Presiding Judge Suparman Nyompa was quoted as saying in a report on Jakarta Globe.
Ferdinand was earlier charged in court after a series of tweets about self-proclaimed Muslim cleric Bahar bin Smith who criticized the police following the killing of six Islamic Defenders Front members.
In his tweets, Ferdinand suggested that Bahar be named a criminal suspect and arrested for spreading hate speech against the police.
Prosecutors, however, said one tweet that could potentially incite unrest reads: “It’s a shame that your Allah is weak and must be defended. As for me, my Allah is the greatest, He always protects me and my Allah doesn’t need to be protected.”
“The defendant’s words clearly weren’t directed at Bahar bin Smith alone and his supporters,” said the prosecutors. “His words hurt the feeling of all Muslims across Indonesia and maybe around the world.”
Ferdinand denied insulting Muslims, saying he himself had converted to Islam in 2017.
The Jakarta Globe’s report said the prosecutors didn’t buy Ferdinand’s claims because his valid ID card describes him as a Christian.
