Protesters gathered in front of the State Palace on Nov. 4, 2016 demanding that Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama to be arrested for blasphemy. (Shutterstock/ Oktobernardi Salam)
A housewife has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for insulting Islam, an official said Tuesday, the latest conviction under the country's controversial blasphemy law.
Siti Aisyah, 47, was found guilty on Monday evening of spreading Islamic teachings that differed from local ulemas and calling them liars for disagreeing with her.
"What she has committed was an insult for our religion, she is dangerous for a religious city like Mataram," Didiek Jatmiko, presiding judge at Mataram district court in West Nusa Tenggara Province, told AFP.
Aisyah was named a blasphemy suspect in February for promoting an unorthodox version of a Muslim prayer on a website she ran, and in flyers she distributed around Mataram.
She also urged readers of her website not to follow hadiths words and practices of the Prophet Mohammed Jatmiko said.
"We sentenced her to two and a half years in prison because she did not regret her crime at all, she is adamant that her belief is the ultimate truth," Jatmiko said.
Aisyah rejected assistance from a lawyer and did not defend herself from the charges. She told the court she would not appeal the decision.
Agence France-Presse
(brl/red)
