Muslim and Christian preachers charge with blasphemy in Indonesia

Indonesian National Police have separately arrested and detained Muslim and Christian preachers on blasphemy charges.

According to the details, On August 25 Muhammad Kece, a Christian preacher, was arrested in Bali for committing alleged blasphemy against Islam.

The authorities along with other charges charged the Christain preacher with changing the word “Allah” in the Islamic oath to “Jesus.” The preacher has been detained in a Jakarta detention center.

A day later, Yahya Waloni, a Muslim imam, was arrested in Jakarta after allegedly committing blasphemy against Christianity by saying in a sermon that the Bible was fake. The Muslim preacher is being held in a hospital in Jakarta.

The two recent arrests took place after the Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, directed the police “to equally” crackdown on people from different religions who commit blasphemy.

The Minister said, “There must be fair treatment in all cases, including blasphemy and hate speech.”