An Indonesian pastor has been sentenced to four years in prison for religious defamation.
Abraham Ben Moses, 52, was arrested on December 5 last year after a video of him was uploaded on social media. It showed Moses speaking to a Muslim taxi driver about the Quran and trying to convert the driver to Christianity, The Jakarta Post reported.
Upset by the video, representatives of Muhammadiyah, one of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organizations, filed a blasphemy complaint against Moses.
On Monday, the Tangerang District Court in Banten, west of Jakarta, found Moses guilty and ordered him to serve four years in prison and pay a fine of 50 million rupiah (US$3,548).
The court said if Moses does not pay the fine, he will be sentenced to an additional month in prison.
Moses was convicted under the Electronic and Information Transactions Law No. 11/2008 of intentionally spreading information intended to incite hatred against an individual, group or society based on religion.
Moses’ legal team said they will file an appeal, because “the sentence is too heavy” for the defendant.