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Chronology of Tanjung Balai Blasphemy Case against Meiliana

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23 August 2018 14:08 WIB

The burning of two monasteries and five temples in Tanjung Balai began with a misunderstanding among local residents. Image: Istimewa

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - After two years of a tiresome legal process, the Medan District Court ruled Meiliana (44) guilty of blasphemy and handed the Tanjung Balai resident a year and six months prison sentence for complaining about the noise level of a mosque’s adhan (Muslim prayer calling). 

The case started on Monday, July 29, 2016, at Meiliana’s neighborhood in South Tanjung Balai when she protested against the sound level of the adhan from the neighborhood’s local mosque Al Maksun, which she felt was too loud.

According to Tempo’s investigation, Meiliana decided to voice her protest to the mosque caretaker named Kasidik, who followed up Meiliana’s protest to the people that had gathered in the mosque after a prayer. 

After engaging in a dialogue with the people in the mosque, the mosque’s Imam Harris Tua Marpaung and the management stopped by Meiliana’s house. At that time, the arguments began to arise between Meiliana and the Al Maksun members. 

According to Tempo’s interview with Harris Tua on Thursday, August 4, 2016, Meiliana explained to the men that the mosque’s adhan made her ears hurt while pointing at the men. 

The argument did not last long after Meiliana’s husband stepped in to be the mediator and offered his apologies to the mosque’s members. However, the situation escalated again after Meiliana became furious with the adhan of Isha prayer and this is said to have triggered the anger of other residents.

Meiliana was taken to the local district office by the mosque’s members to avoid further escalation. At that time, Meiliana issued a public apology in front of the Tanjung Balai headman Edy Muriadi but was met with shouting by local residents that were present. 

She was then helped taken to the Tanjung Balai police headquarter to further conduct a mediation between the two parties since the situation had gone from bad to worse at the Tanjung Balai district office. 

However, in the midst of the mediation, around 21:30 local time, a riot broke when an unknown mass ransacked and ruined Meliana’s house which was followed by a highly tense night where the unknown group destroyed or vandalized several temples and viharas across the Tanjung Balai City.

Meiliana was named as a blasphemy suspect since March 2017 while the eight suspects of vandalism that were arrested each received only one to three months behind bars. The judge’s sentencing corroborated to the public prosecutor’s indictment. 

Meanwhile, Meiliana’s attorney Ranto Sibarani said that he will appeal the judge’s verdict. “Yes, we will appeal since there was no evidence. How could a criminal case come from no evidence,” said Ranto.

Ranto explained that the public prosecutor’s indictment could not be proven when he claimed that Meiliana had only questioned the volume of the Mosque’s adhan to a seller while purchasing an item on July 22, 2016.  

Meiliana’s attorney also questioned the prosecutor’s pieces of evidence presented in court, which were items unrelated to the substance of the case; a sound amplifier and loudspeaker. The other evidence he greatly questioned was a written statement signed by 100 Al Maksun Mosque members and the North Sumatra’s Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) stating that Meiliana had conducted a blasphemy. 

“How about gather 100 people to make a statement that someone committed murder next time. No other evidence but just the statement letter. Added with the fatwa corroborating the accusation. That’s it to sentence someone to prison,” assessed Ranto who questioned the legal proceeding of Meiliana’s blasphemy case.

Iil Askar Monza



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