Indonesian TikToker Lina Mukherjee Jailed For Uttering Islamic Prayer 'Bismillah' While Savouring Pork Delicacy In A Viral Video

A district court in South Sumatra in Indonesia has sentenced a woman TikTok star to two years in prison and imposed a heavy fine for reciting an Islamic prayer before eating pork in a viral video that was widely criticised.

Lina Lutfiawati, popularly known as Lina Mukherjee on social media channels, was tried on Tuesday in the Palembang district court on Sumatra island. Mukherjee identifies herself as a Muslim

Mukherjee was found guilty of "spreading information aimed at inciting hatred against religious individuals and specific groups" by the court.

She was also fined 250 million rupiah (US$16,200) failing which her jail term would be extended by three months.

Noted for her lifestyle and food videos, Mukherjee was at the receiving end of ire after she shared on TikTok in March, in which she is seen sitting at a dining table and reciting the Islamic phrase “Bismillah” (meaning in Arabic - In the name of Allah) before consuming crispy pork skin.

The video, which was shot in Bali, featured her tasting babi guling, a popular street food of rice and chunks of spit-roasted pork and crackling served with vegetables.

The video, which amassed millions of views, was deemed by religious groups, including the Indonesian Ulema Council, the country’s top Muslim clerical body, as “blasphemous.”

Pork meat is considered 'impure' and 'unclean' in Islam, and its consumption is prohibited as per Quran and Hadith.

Mukherjee's jail sentence is the latest in a string of blasphemy cases in the country.

In 2022, Indonesian police arrested six people on charges of blasphemy over a bar chain’s free alcohol promotion for patrons named Mohammed.

In 2017, Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison.

In November 2016, Ahok quoted a verse from the Quran to prove to his supporters that there were no restrictions on Muslims voting for a non-Muslim politician. Enraged by this, Islamic groups accused Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, of committing blasphemy and called for a trial against him for mocking verses of the Quran.