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Police end probe into blasphemy allegations against Sukmawati
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Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, the 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)
T
he National Police have ended their investigation into Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno, for alleged blasphemy, police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Muhammad Iqbal said in a statement on Sunday.
“Based on the preliminary investigation […] we did not find any illegal or criminal act so the case will not be escalated to a full investigation,” he added.
The announcement of the investigation’s termination comes shortly after police confirmed that they have also dropped their investigation into a pornography case allegedly involving firebrand Islam Defenders Front (FPI) cleric Rizieq Shihab.
Last year, Sukmawati reported Rizieq to the police in an unrelated case, alleging that he had defamed Sukarno and the state ideology, Pancasila. That case was dropped by the West Java Police in February.
In April, about 30 groups and individuals reported Sukmawati, to the police, accusing her of composing a poem that insulted Islam in violation of articles 156 and 156a of the Criminal Code.
Sukmawati read the poem, entitled “Ibu Indonesia” (Mother Indonesia), during a fashion event to celebrate designer Anne Avantie’s 29th anniversary in the business during Indonesia Fashion Week (IFW) in Jakarta on March 29.
In the poem, Sukmawati allegedly unfavorably compared cadar (the full-face veil) to konde (the traditional hair bun) and adzan (Muslim call to prayer) to traditional Indonesian songs.
Sukmawati issued a tearful apology shortly after she was first reported to the police, saying that she had no intention of insulting Islam.
“Since this literary work has sparked controversy, especially among Muslims, I apologize to all Muslims who feel offended by this poem,” she said at the time. (ahw)
