Indonesian women face jail for stepping on Quran

• Two women face up to five years in prison after a Quran incident in Banten.
• Rights groups warn blasphemy law is widely misused against minorities.

Indonesian police said Sunday they had arrested two women on blasphemy charges after a video showing one of them stepping on a Quran spread rapidly across social media, triggering widespread anger in the Muslim-majority country.

Arrests in Banten province

Authorities detained the women earlier this week in Banten province, west of Jakarta. Police did not disclose their identities or ages but confirmed both have been named suspects and could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

According to police, the incident occurred on Wednesday in Lebak, about 140 kilometers from the capital. A salon owner accused a customer of theft and demanded she swear an oath of innocence while stepping on a Quran. The confrontation was filmed and later circulated online.

“The person who stepped on the Quran, and the person who asked her to swear an oath, have both admitted what they did,” Banten police spokesman Maruli Ahiles Hutapea told AFP.

Viral video fuels backlash

The footage quickly went viral, prompting strong public reaction and calls for legal action. Indonesia enforces strict blasphemy laws that prohibit statements or acts deemed offensive to any of the country’s six officially recognized religions.

Debate over blasphemy laws

Rights organizations have long criticized the legislation, arguing it is often used to target religious minorities and suppress free expression.

High-profile cases have drawn international attention. In 2017, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the former governor of Jakarta widely known as Ahok, was sentenced to nearly two years in prison on blasphemy charges. More recently, a stand-up comedian was jailed in 2024 for a joke referencing the name Muhammad.

Indonesia is home to more than 240 million Muslims, making it the largest Muslim-majority country in the world.