Indonesia: Blasphemy Law in Action
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 NRSV.
A former Muslim cleric who converted to Christianity was sentenced to ten years in prison under Indonesia’s blasphemy law for allegedly offending Muslims across the country.
Muhammad Kace converted to Christianity in 2014. After his conversion, he began uploading videos to YouTube criticizing his former faith.
He was arrested in Bali last August, following a sermon video in which he allegedly insulted the prophet Muhammad.
The judges of Ciamis District Court in West Java agreed with prosecutors to sentence him for his offenses.
Thousands of Muslims surrounded the court in support of the harsher indictment. While in detention, he had been brutally beaten by prison inmates.
Under Indonesia’s blasphemy law, offenders can be punished with up to five years in jail. But there is also a blasphemy provision of the Internet law, which carries a maximum term of ten years.
Blasphemy prosecutions have become more common over the past two decades, undermining Indonesia’s reputation as a tolerant Islamic state. The blasphemy law has mostly been used against those deemed to have insulted Islam.
In June this year, police charged six people at the Holywings Bar and Restaurant chain with blasphemy over a promotion offering free alcoholic drinks for people named Mohammad or Maria.
Jakarta’s Governor Anies Baswedan revoked the licence of all 12 outlets of the chain after complaints by religious groups. In 2017, Jakarta’s former governor Basuki “Ahok” Purnama, a Christian, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for blasphemy on charges widely seen as politically motivated.
Under Indonesia’s Pancasila policy which recognises Islam, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism as major religions, the blasphemy law should defend against those who “distort” or “misrepresent” these faiths.
But while Indonesia has jailed more than 150 people since the blasphemy law was passed in 1965, they have mostly been from religious minorities.
Christians should have the same rights as other religious groups, but in some regions, they face difficulties in getting permission to build Churches.
Local authorities often ignore requests by churches even if they manage to fulfill all legal requirements. It is more difficult to register a Church than a mosque.
The persecution of Christians in Indonesia has worsened in recent years. Churches that engage in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups.
Extremist groups in West Java and Aceh continue to exert a strong influence on society and politics.
Home Group Prayer:
Dear Father God,
We pray for our brothers and sisters in the beautiful country of Indonesia as they try to live out their faith in the face of religious persecution.
We ask that they may sense your presence and nearness in a very real and vibrant manner, and that your Holy Spirit will continue to nurture and comfort them.
We ask for authorities to respect all, regardless of their faiths, and especially for Christian converts from other faiths to be able to live and worship freely without fear or oppression.
We lift up Muhammad Kace who is now in prison for his faith, and ask that you protect his life and his well being.
May he be treated well and released very soon. We pray for his family, and for other believers who live in fear.
We also pray for wisdom and discernment for those in power in the Indonesian government, and ask that your will be done in this country.
We ask these in the name of Your Son, Jesus.
Amen!
Materials used by kind permission of the original author.
“after his conversion, he began uploading videos to YouTube criticizing his former faith”.
Exuse me for now being harsh, but the fruit of true conversion is not to criticize the yet not converted.
True conversion may give you a heart for them which make you, without their knowledge, pray for them but never attack them.
It is written that “we are in Christ by His(the Father’s) doing”.
That does not mean that we are in Christ because that the Father had made a miracle although it is a miracle, but
it means that we can only be “in Christ” by doing ONLY what the Father tells us to do, and that “doing” comes only by personally hearing in the Spirit.
You are blessed IF you suffer for righteousness sake, which is sufferuing when you do as the Father says.
But,the opposite of the blessing is always the curse which means that when you suffer because of unrighteousness which is when you are doing things which the Father never told you to do (because it does not glorify Him) then you are not in His protection but cursed.
In other words, there are two kind of persecutions and sufferings, for righteousness sake or for unrighteousness sake.
This man did in my eyes not mock islam but the Father and for that reason he was probably put to jail, where the Lord,maybe or maybe not, will work with him and his pride, because the other side of mocking (even when it is subtile) is pride.
Arise O LORD, Arise…. Remembering yr Suffering Ones (Persecuted) ..Lord While Praying for them… We Also stand ‘Alert’ in Our Spirit to Pray Against ‘ALL Every WILES, Attacks, Backlashes, Onslaughts, Assaults.. Every Evils Wickedness Plans of D High Places of Darkness.. Every Tactics Strategies tt Seeks To Devours US , to Kills Steals Robs Destroys, SidesTracks, Distracts, SEDUCES & REDUCES, DISTURB & HARASSMENT.. LORD.. JESUS (OUR MIGHTY Saviour, Friend,Brother, ‘OUR MIGHTY-COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF’.. tt @YR-NAME.. Every Knee Shall BOW, Every Tongues CONFESSED Tt LORD JESUS’is LORD of ALL In HEAVEN EARTH & BENEATH.. As D ENEMIES Comes in Like a ‘Floods’..U Says U Raises UP D Standards OF Warfare.. Shield of yr BLOODs.. & Armour UP Every All Yr Warriors Shields Of Yr FAITHs.. TO EXTINGUISHS ALL EVERY ON-FIERY DARTS & FLAMINGS ARROWS OF ALL WICKEDNESS.. IN D HIGH PLACES & DARK FORCES.. U SAYS U Givens us Authority to trample on snakes & scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy.. AS U SAYS & PROMISES..YR WORDS SPOKEN TT GOES FORTH WILL NOT RETURN ‘VOID’..IT WILL DO WHAT U WANTS TO ACCOMPLISHES… AMEN JESUS..IN YR NAMES… COVERS ALL EVERY GROUNDS PLATFORMS PEOPLES (ALL Tongues Tribes Nations LANDs.. All YR SERVANTS.. YR EVANGELISTIC PROPHETIC APOSTLISTIC.. PRAYERS & WORSHIPER..(YR PEOPLE YR ARMIES).. WATCH OVER YR SHEEP PEN LORD & ATTEND TO ANY CASUALTIES .. U SAYS… BY YR WOUNDS, YR STRIPS (THRU’ YR SUFFERINGS).. WE R ‘HEALED’…IN JESUS NAMES..AMEN
Arise O LORD… Contend with those who Contend with Them.. Fight with those who Fight with Them.. Sent Forth Myriads of yr Warrings Ministerings Reinforcing Host’s..of Yr ANGELICs BEINGs Take Up Shields Armours Weaponry & Fight for These (Them) whose HEARTs R Loyal (Faithful) to U even in D Midst of Persecution ( Sorrows, Torments, Sufferings, Lacks, Prison, Deaths…) MAY yr Protection Rim of Impenetrable Wall of yr HOLYFIRE’S , Yr Holinesses Blood, Living Waters Peaces Loves to Surround Protects Covers Shields Restores HEALS Provisions Them ALl & ALL Loves Ones 24/7 Day Nites… ALMIGHTY ONE of ISRAEL.. As Yr EYES RUN to & Fro.. Show Forth YrSELF Strong Mighty Upon Their Behalf..Whose HEARTs R Loyal Faithful to U.. LORD JESUS’…B Theirs HOLY DREAD Champion… MAY HOLY FEAR of D LORD Falls Upon Whole FACEs of D Earth (All Tongues Tribes Nations LANDs All Peoples)… Esp Upon E’Enemies Camp’ Upon Those who Persecuted yr Suffering Little Lambs’- … B Their Healer’s Protector’s.. Their Comfort Peaces.. Theirs Champion.. Sent & Provisions & Reinforcement All they Needs. Watch Over Them as U NEVER SLEEPz Nors SLUMBERs.. May Mercy Triumphs over Judgment … ThankU Lord Jesus.. MAY U Do A DEEP HEALINGs for D Nations..In Yr AWESOME Name Amen….
Please Mama, keep praying for Christians especially in Islamic & some African countries. Indonesia is even better! If it were to be some other African countries, this man could have been doused with petroleum & set ablaze while alive or beheaded straight with no one to rescue him. Blasphemy against prophet Muhammad is always their excuse to gruesomely murder us Christians; instill fear in those who choose to leave Islam; & silence Christians from spreading the Gospel of Christ. Like yesterday, i couldn’t evangelize to Christians in the car I boarded because the driver is a Muslim & could get offended, gather Islamic mobs to kill me & all others. This is an every time thing some of us see in my country in Africa as we try to preach the Gospel of our savior. Its that bad! May God shield & deliver Muhammad Kace & his family from their claws in Jesus name.
So true DJ. But the European countries believe Islam is a religion of peace! They are just being deceived & blind to the Truth! They will understand Islam better when the Muslim population increases & then they will start to demand for their own markets, schools, hospitals, burial sites etc & next begin to kill the owners of the land to take over! Christians in Europe are still sleeping as they are yet to understand the Islamic agendas! They will learn in a hard way just like they are dealing with us in my country & most other African countries
AMEN to that loving and caring prayer.
Thank you for including a prayer!
Just now I read and prayed this prayer with you and others.
This is sure heartbreaking. Standing with my brothers and sisters in other lands suffering persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ.
Well, this is not a shocker when you understand that Islam is the ‘End Time Beast’ system. Islam by its nature is anti-Christ. If you think this is bad now, wait until the Islamic anti-christ comes on the scene and Islam takes its place as the “Beast”. Stop looking at Rome or Europe or the U.N. as the Beast, its Islam and all the nations that surround Israel are ALL Islamic.