Indonesia: Christian arrested for blasphemy after claiming Muhammad’s message originated from human sources

Image: Jihad Watch

SURABAYA, Indonesia (Morning Star News) – Police arrested a Christian on Thursday (Oct. 17) for social media comments about Islam that sparked a protest by hundreds of Muslims outside his home, according to local sources.

The crowd, comprised mostly of Muslim residents, surrounded the home of florist Rudi Simamora in Sunggal, near Medan city in Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra Province, for over an hour, local media reported. Rudi had shared on TikTok his belief that the teachings of Muhammad, Islam’s prophet, were human in origin rather than divine. He also allegedly claimed that the Islamic concept of Allah promotes racism, according to TVOne.com.

During the tense standoff, Rudi requested police assistance through his TikTok account, as reported by TribunMedan TV.

Rudi had previously been detained in 2022 on similar charges of allegedly insulting Islam, Tribun.com reported. He was sentenced to one year in prison on Feb. 23, 2023, and released earlier this year.

Rev. Erwin Tambunan, chairperson of the Medan Regional Indonesian Churches Association (Persatuan Gereja Indonesia Daerah, or PGID), apologized to the Muslim community for Rudi’s 2022 statements and affirmed that Christians support all legal measures in such cases.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)