Influencer Jailed for Jesus Hair Comment!

2025-03-12 00:00:32.864

Ratu Thalisa, a Muslim transgender woman with nearly 450,000 TikTok followers, was sentenced to two years and ten months in prison for hate speech against Christianity. Her crime? Suggesting Jesus should cut his hair during a live broadcast. This comment, made in response to a viewer's suggestion that Thalisa herself should cut her hair, led to complaints from five Christian groups. The court, citing Indonesia's Electronic Information and Transactions (EIT) law, ruled that her comments could disrupt public order and religious harmony. Amnesty International criticized the sentence as an attack on freedom of expression, arguing that Thalisa's speech didn't reach the threshold of incitement to violence. The organization highlighted the increasing use of the EIT law to punish social media comments, calling for Thalisa's release and revisions to the law. This case follows other recent blasphemy convictions in Indonesia, highlighting the rise of religious conservatism and the weaponization of blasphemy laws against religious minorities.