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Blasphemy Charges Against American Caused by ‘Misunderstanding,’ Lombok Supporter Says
Cameron Bates & Fitri | September 17, 2010

Kuta Beach in Lombok. A Lombok-based supporter of expatriate Greg Luke says the American resident of Kuta is the victim of a Kuta Beach in Lombok. A Lombok-based supporter of expatriate Greg Luke says the American resident of Kuta is the victim of a 'misunderstanding.' (Antara Photo)
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Jakarta. A friend of United States citizen Greg Luke, arrested in Lombok, Indonesia, on charges of blaspheming Islam, says the entire incident stems from a “misunderstanding” caused by a language barrier.

Lalu Sungkul, who has been providing assistance since the American’s home in Kuta was destroyed by a rampaging mob on the night of Aug. 22, said prosecutors on Thursday returned the case file to police because they wanted more information about Greg’s capacity to speak Indonesian.

Lalu, who was born and raised in Kuta, said he had translated the case file for Luke and disputed some of comments police allege the American told villagers outside a mosque.

He said the “misunderstanding” began when Luke had approached the mosque and told a group of about six men on the porch to “turun speaker rebut,” which is a poor way of saying “Kecilin suara, berisik” (“turn the noise down”).

He said the Californian engineer, who did not step foot in the mosque, let alone with his shoes on, was then pushed “like an animal” off the porch landing on his back in the dirt.

Lalu said that it was at this point that police allege that Luke had insulted Islam by saying “Saya akan menyewa orang galap untuk meratakan masjid,” which translates as “I can hire orang galap (gangsters) to tear down this mosque.”

Lalu said the allegation was “ridiculous” because Luke’s grasp of the Indonesian language was poor.

Luke told the Jakarta Globe from his jail cell in Central Lombok that what he did say at this point was, “Itu tidak sopan” (“You are not polite).

He said that as the group began throwing rocks as he attempted to escape on his motorcycle, he then said, “Masjid ini harus mengajar di jadi sopan,” which roughly translates as, “This mosque needs to teach politeness.”

Luke, who said he had a limited capacity to learn foreign languages, said what he meant to say, was, “This mosque needs to learn some manners.”

Comr. Lalu Mahsun, deputy chief of the Central Lombok Police, said, however, that the case file mentioned nothing of the threats to “tear down” the mosque but centered on Luke’s comment that “Muslims don’t have any manners.”

The deputy chief also disputed the claim that Luke had a poor grasp of Bahasa Indonesia. He said that other initial allegations that helped whip up hundreds of villagers into a fierce mob, such as that Luke had stepped on a Koran or had threatened to burn down the mosque, were not contained in the police file.

Luke, who estimated the damage to his house as well as the stolen or burnt possessions at $20,000, said that though there were many good people in Kuta, there was a criminal element.

He was also disappointed that police had not charged anyone for the destruction of his property.