{UAH} Woman jailed in Indonesia for complaining mosque was too noisy
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Woman jailed in Indonesia for complaining mosque was too noisy
The verdict is likely to fuel fears that Indonesia's brand of Islam is being influenced by radicals.
15:41, UK, Tuesday 21 August 2018
A woman is being sent to prison for 18 months in Indonesia after complaining that a mosque near her house was "too loud" and "hurt" her ears.
Identified only as Meiliana, she called the mosque "noisy" and complained about the Islamic call to prayer from the mosque's speakers in the city of Medan.
The 44-year-old, an ethnic Chinese Buddhist, was crying and taken out of the court in handcuffs after being found guilty of insulting Islam.
At least 14 Buddhist temples were burned and ransacked by mobs in Tanjung Balai on the island of Sumatra when Meiliana made her remarks in 2016.
Police arrested more than a dozen suspects but only two were charged.
Rantau Sibarani, Meiliana's lawyer, said there was no clear evidence of blasphemy.
"This case seems to be very forced. This is only to fulfil the will of the people," he said.
Meiliana will appeal against the verdict and Amnesty International has urged a higher court to quash the decision.
Indonesia's Islamic Community Forum, however, said that the sentence was too light.
Vice president Jusuf Kalla, who is a member of the Indonesian Mosque Council, formed a team in 2015 to review mosque's use of loudspeakers and their volume. He had previously called on mosques to use their loudspeakers "wisely".
Blasphemy cases have become more frequent in the country, which is also the most populous Muslim country in the world. Verdicts have come back overwhelmingly guilty.
Last year, former Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama was sent to prison for two years, the maximum sentence for blasphemy.
It came after he said there was no reason in the Koran why Muslims should not vote for non-Muslims.
Meiliana's verdict is likely to fuel fears that Indonesia's brand of Islam is being influenced by radicals.
The country has previously cracked down on Valentine's Day, saying it is not a Muslim holiday.
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