Jakarta, Indonesia, Apr 9, 2019 / 15:01 pm
Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a Buddhist woman who was convicted of blasphemy for complaining about the volume of a local mosque's call to worship.
The court's ruling was made March 27, and posted to its website April 8.
The woman, Meliana, is of Chinese descent and lives in Tanjung Balai, about 110 miles southeast of Medan. She said in 2016 that an adhan was "too loud" and hurt her ears, according to The Jakarta Post. She made the comment in a private conversation to her neighbor, Kasini, but her words were subsequently twisted to seem like an objection to the adhan itself and spread on social media.
Anti-Chinese violence flared in Tanjung Balai after Meliana's comments were shared on social media, with her property and several Buddhist temples being set aflame.