2 Blasphemy, Human Rights, and the Case of Ahok

Peterson, Daniel C.

doi:10.1163/9789004346888_003

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“…Blasphemy prosecutions may seem perplexing given that democratic transitions are generally expected to improve civil rights and standards of justice. As Peterson (2018) finds, an active and illiberal blasphemy law is often used to stifle public criticism of religion in Indonesia. The complex nature of blasphemy means that those who feel judicial processes are tarnished, or punishments are unfair, cannot publicly deny the existence of the crime of blasphemy.…”

Section: Blasphemy In Comparative Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blasphemy and Judicial Legitimacy in Indonesia

Tyson

2020

Politics and Religion

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When contentious blasphemy laws are pressed into service in fledgling democracies with illiberal tendencies such as Indonesia, critical questions arise about judicial integrity and the political nature of blasphemy trials. Judicial legitimacy in Indonesia is defined according to international standards and conventions. The focus is on judicial propriety rather than the popularity or majoritarian appeal of court decisions. In May 2017 a watershed moment occurred in Indonesia as the former governor of Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (popularly known as Ahok) was found guilty of desecrating religion and sentenced to 2 years in prison. Judgments rendered in politicized blasphemy trials such as these fail to meet standards of impartiality, and when discursive transgressions of a blasphemous nature occur there are deep ambiguities of meaning and intent. This paper contends that the revival of blasphemy as a punishable crime relates to political power calculations and electoral opportunities, and offers an analysis of blasphemy in Indonesia through the quasi-historical lens of a discursive crime premised on the fallacy that religious offence threatens public order. Blasphemy trials are further complicated by the fact that religious authorities and Islamic mass organizations in Indonesia have significant influence over judicial processes.

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Section: Blasphemy In Comparative Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blasphemy and Judicial Legitimacy in Indonesia

Tyson

2020

Politics and Religion

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

2 Blasphemy, Human Rights, and the Case of Ahok

Cited by 1 publication

References 0 publications

Blasphemy and Judicial Legitimacy in Indonesia

Blasphemy and Judicial Legitimacy in Indonesia

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