Indonesian woman jailed for complaining about mosque noise

Meiliana had asked her neighbourhood mosque to turn down the volume because it was “too loud” and “hurt” her ears.

Meiliana reacts during her sentencing hearing at a district court in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018. / Photo Credit: AP

New Delhi: An Indonesian woman was reportedly jailed for complaining about the volume of mosque’s call to prayer in the latest conviction under a controversial blasphemy law. The 44-year-old woman named Meiliana, who is an ethnic Chinese Buddhist, was reportedly found guilty of insulting Islam and asking her neighbourhood mosque to turn down the volume because it was “too loud” and “hurt” her ears. She was sentenced an 18-month-imprisonment. Indonesia, which is a Muslim majority country is officially a pluralist nation with six major religions recognized, that includes Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism. There are some 800,000 mosques across the archipelago, with the five-times-a-day call to prayer heard everywhere in the biggest cities and smallest towns. The verdict is being viewed as a threat to the moderate brand of Islam from increasingly influential radicals. As per reports, the court said the woman’s comments triggered violence that saw angry Muslim mobs ransack Buddhist temples. Some ethnic Chinese in the area reportedly fled in fear.  The defendant's lawyer said his client would appeal the decision. Right groups in the country have been campaigning against the nation’s blasphemy laws, which they allege are frequently misused to target minorities.