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Indonesia Jails American for Blasphemy
December 15, 2010

An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced a United States retiree to five months in jail for blasphemy for pulling the plug on a mosque’s loudspeaker during a prayer reading. (JG Photo/Fitri) An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced a United States retiree to five months in jail for blasphemy for pulling the plug on a mosque’s loudspeaker during a prayer reading. (JG Photo/Fitri)
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VinegarJoe
3:35am Dec 17, 2010

Ah, life in the 3rd world! Ain't it grand?

fanelli
1:59am Dec 16, 2010

@wongndeso

I've been reading JG online for a while and I always notice your comments about supposed religious intolerance in western countries. From these comments, I gather you have very little understanding or familiarity with secular countries.

If someone unplugged a loudspeaker in the US, at a church, on Christmas, and it didn't cause monetary damages or permanent harm to anyone, I would imagine he would spend zero to a couple of hours in a holding cell and be charged with a misdemeanor crime like trespassing with no jail-time and possibly a small fine. If he argued that the sound was too loud and they wouldn't turn it down, etc, he probably wouldn't even spend 1 minute in jail and the police would ask the church to turn down the noise.

There is no crime they would be able to charge him with carrying a penalty of 5 months in prison (and who knows how much bribe money this American had to pay to get that judgement). Furthermore, we don't have mobs destroying people's houses in the US, and if we did, they would be punished by the police.

Admit it Wongndeso, Indonesia has a looong way to go before it can call itself a modern country. It's ok, you only just started ruling yourself and running your own country while western countries have had hundreds of years to practice. There is no shame in not being fully capable yet. But don't deny it or else you will never improve.

BilboBaggins
10:05pm Dec 15, 2010

Wongdenso, even if you were arrested for pulling down a church bell you can be damned sure those who trashed your house for doing it would be arrested too.

That is the real issue here IMHO.

Jadinya
8:12pm Dec 15, 2010

Well it really depends whether he did actually go and pull down the speakers, in which case he might expect some retribution, however just or unjust. Wongndeso's mirror example is , as usual, completely erronious and meaningless but he/she should know it is a hopeless position to declare contemporary Christianity equally violent and western law enforcement equally corrupt.


wongndeso
7:27pm Dec 15, 2010

@padt: Are you sure I would've just gone by without a scratch if I dressed up like an Arab and pull down the church bell in the neighborhood ?? btw. Guns are allowed in the household in that land we call US&A. So... most probably I wouldnt be as lucky as this guy here...

Indonesia. An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced a United States retiree to five months in jail for blasphemy for pulling the plug on a mosque’s loudspeaker during a prayer reading.

The Aug. 22 incident during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in retired Californian engineer Gregory Luke, 64, needing a police escort from his home on Lombok island as a mob tore it to pieces around him.

“He was found guilty of committing blasphemy, carrying out an act of violence and hampering people in Kute village from doing their religious activities,” Chief Judge Suhartoyo told a court in Praya, Lombok.

Luke had previously denied pulling the plug, but in a brief comment Wednesday said he was “satisfied” with the judges’ ruling.

The verdict was two months lighter than the jail term sought by prosecutors a day earlier. The Indonesian criminal code stipulates that an act of blasphemy carries a maximum five-year jail term.

Setting out mitigating circumstances, the judge said: “The defendant has never committed a crime before, acted politely during the trial and expressed regret for his act. He also participated in promoting tourism here.”

Luke, who runs a guesthouse for tourists on the islands, will get his freedom back in mid-February 2011.

Wearing a sarong, polo shirt and black Muslim hat, he said outside the courtroom that he accepted the ruling.

“I’m quite satisfied with the judges’ decision,” he said with a smile.

Luke has previously denied pulling the plug on the loudspeakers used to broadcast the call to prayer — a feature on most mosques in Indonesia.

In comments to local media, he has said he went to the mosque to ask for the volume to be turned down and was set upon by a group of local youths, who pushed him to the ground and pelted him with rocks.

A mob then chased him to his home and ransacked it as police looked on, apparently unable to intervene, he said. No one has been charged with any offence related to the mob attack on his house.


Agence France-Presse