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Jakarta Post editor accused of blasphemy

December 12, 2014

The editor of one of Indonesia's most prominent newspapers has been named as a suspect in a blasphemy case. The editor maintains that the cartoon in question criticized the jihadist group 'Islamic State,' not Islam.

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Image: Fotolia/Vladimir Voronin

The chief editor of the Jakarta Post, one of Indonesia's two national English-language daily newspapers, has been accused in a blasphemy case over a political cartoon about the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group, police confirmed on Friday.

Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, who could face up to five years in prison if convicted, said he was "amazed" by the move, because "the fact is we did not commit a criminal act … What we produced was a journalistic piece that criticized the ISIS, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant movement, which has carried out violence in the name of religion."

The editor was referring to 'IS' under the other names often used in media reports.

The cartoon, which was published on July 3, showed an 'IS' flag bearing the inscription "There is no God but Allah," an Islamic creed, above a skull and crossbones. Following an outcry by Muslim groups, the Post retracted the cartoon and made an official apology for offending Muslims five days later.

A group called the Jakarta Muslim Preachers Corps filed the complaint, saying the Post had violated Indonesia's blasphemy law.

Sentences 'skyrocketing'

The law prohibits inciting hatred against a particular religious group or promoting "deviant" teachings of Indonesia's six recognized religions: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Confucianism.

It is, however, usually invoked to protect Islam, to which nearly 90 percent of Indonesians adhere.

Amnesty International has called upon new President Joko Widodo to repeal the statutes, citing how prison sentences for blasphemy had "skyrocketed" under his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Other rights groups have criticized the laws as being overly severe and outdated.

The police have said they will question Meidyatama Suryodiningrat next week. In Indonesia, it is sometimes practice to name suspects and then detain them at a later date.

The editor maintains that the incident is a case of journalistic ethics and should be reviewed by the Indonesian Press Council, not the police.

es/tj (AFP, dpa)