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Sukarno's daughter accused of blasphemy after comparing father to Prophet Muhammad
This is not the first time Sukmawati has been reported to the police for alleged defamation.
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Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia's first president Sukarno, attends a discussion at the National Museum in Central Jakarta on Dec. 29, 2016. (Kompas.com/Nabilla Tashandra)
S
ukmawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, has been accused of blasphemy after purportedly comparing her father to Prophet Muhammad.
A mass organization called the Bima Islam Youth Forum reported Sukmawati to the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) on Saturday, accusing her of making blasphemous remarks the group said had “defamed Islam”.
The report, signed by Imron Abidin as the forum’s representative, particularly lamented Sukmawati’s remarks made in her speech during a discussion forum dated Nov. 11, footage of which has been making the rounds on social media.
“Ibu Sukmawati was running a discussion forum on radicalism and terrorism. There were several points in her speech that we think defamed Islam,” the group’s lawyer, Dedi Junaedi, said as quoted by kompas.com.
In the footage, which was also posted by Twitter user @intanRatuaja12, Sukmawati was seen talking before an audience and asking them, “Who fought for [Indonesia’s] independence in the 20th century, Prophet Muhammad or Soekarno?” and demanded their answer.
Prior to making the statement, Sukmawati could also be heard asking, “Which one is better, Pancasila or the Quran?” referring to Indonesia’s state ideology.
Dedi claimed that Sukmawati had violated Article 156 of the Criminal Code on religious defamation, adding that the Bima Islam Youth Forum had submitted along with its report a CD containing videos and four screenshots as evidence.
Read also: Tearful Sukmawati apologizes for offending Muslims
This is not the first time that Sukmawati has been reported to the police for alleged defamation.
Separately, Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said they had also received a report filed on Friday by a Muslim individual who accused Sukmawati of blasphemy for the same remarks.
Argo said the police were examining the case.
In 2018, a number of Muslim groups reported her for comparing sharia to konde (traditional hair bun), mocking the niqab and insulting adzan in a poem she had written and read out at a fashion event. A number of rallies against her were staged following the case.
The police later dropped the case, saying there was nothing illegal about what she had done. (gis)
