A Muslim preacher was arrested in Indonesia on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, on charges including blasphemy and inciting hatred, after his religious school faced criticism for allowing women to preach and pray alongside men, police said.
According to the Brussels Times, the Al-Zaytun Islamic school in the Muslim-majority province of West Java, which is the most populous in the Southeast Asian archipelago, has been the subject of controversy from conservative groups, who accuse it of applying a version of Islam that is incompatible with the Koran.
The headmaster of the boarding school, Panji Gumilang, 77, was arrested on Wednesday after being questioned by police, national police spokesman Ahmad Ramadhan told reporters.
Panji Gumilang might face up to five years in prison for blasphemy, six years for inciting hatred and ten years for spreading false information and intentionally dist¥rbing public order, according to the charges against him.
