Source: www.persecution.org
Date: December 16, 2021
Indonesia (International Christian Concern) – On December 15, an Indonesian Christan man was charged with blasphemy for posting a comment on Prophet Muhammad comparing him to a Muslim child rapist.
According to UCA News, Joseph Suryadi, 39, from Tangerang, a city near Jakarta, is accused of uploading a caricature of the prophet on Twitter and comparing him with an Islamic boarding school owner called Herry Wirawan. The man from Bandung is accused of raping 13 girls at his boarding school.
The caricature shows a man with a woman in a hijab along with a message saying that the age of Aisah, the Prophet Muhammad’s wife, was young when she was married to the prophet and that his desire for the young woman was like what Wirawan had for his victims.
Suryadi was arrested after the police received thousands of complaints from Muslims. He can face up to five years of imprisonment for blasphemy.
Although he claimed that his cellphone was stolen and the message was not uploaded by him, Jakarta police spokesman Endra Zulpan later confirmed that after examining the digital track record on the suspect’s cellphone, they saw that his device does contain messages as reported by many.
While it occurs often that non-Muslims are charged and jailed for blasphemy in Indonesia, Muslims are rarely prosecuted for insulting other religions. The double standard is a stain to the religious harmony that Jakarta proudly presents.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for tensions to ease between religious groups in Indonesia. Pray for any unjust charges to be dropped. Pray for blasphemy laws around the world to be revised and overturned.