An Indonesian nightclub called Holywings on Thursday apologized for disturbing religious sentiments in the predominantly Muslim country after it offered free alcohol to men named Mohammed as part of a promotion. Malay Post On Friday, the venue was accused of “blasphemy” in connection with the incident, a crime punishable by jail time in Indonesia, he said.
In a recently deleted social media post, Holywings offered “each Thursday a bottle of Gordon’s gin for men named Mohammed and a bottle of Gordon’s pink gin for women named Maria. Eligible participants will receive free gifts,” Coconuts Jakarta news site reported on June 24. Had to show only ID cards on site for.
“Although Mary is an important figure in the Bible and the Qur’an, [Islamic holy book]The anger focused mainly on the use of the name of the last prophets of Islam, Mohammed,” he said.
Holywings said in a statement on his social media accounts on June 23, “We have taken action against the promotion team that was promoted without prior notice to the management, with serious penalties.”
“We do not intend to associate religious elements in our ads, so we offer our deepest apologies to all Indonesian people,” the statement said.
“This brand of marketing is a violation of the Islamic faith,” wrote a social media user under the online pseudonym “suandharu” under Holywings’ “Muhammad” promotion before it was removed. Malay Post.
GP Ansor, the youth wing of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization (Nahdlatul Ulama), announced on June 24 that it plans to hold demonstrations in front of various Holywings establishments in Jakarta to protest the advertising campaign.
“The group also plans to file a formal complaint against Holywings with Jakarta Police for blasphemy. Under Indonesian law, blasphemy is punishable by up to five years in prison,” Coconuts Jakarta said on Friday.
Located in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population. A 2010 study by the Pew Research Center revealed that 205 million Muslims in Indonesia make up 88 percent of the country’s total population and 13 percent of the world’s Muslim population.
The Indonesian constitution guarantees freedom of religion, “but citizens of the state must protect the rights of others and accept the limits set by the law. […] Meet “fair demands in a democratic society based on moral considerations, religious values, security, and public order,” according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2021 Report on Religious Freedom in Indonesia.
“Some local governments have enacted local laws and ordinances that restrict religious worship, such as ordinances banning Shia or Ahmadiyya Islamic practices,” the report said.
“In Aceh, the authorities continue to beat them with sticks under Sharia law. [Islamic law] violations such as the sale of alcohol, gambling and extramarital affairs. “People continue to be detained and jailed for violating blasphemy laws,” the US State Department said.
Source: Breitbart
