TikToker jailed for two years after eating pork in video

TikToker Lina Mukherjee has been jailed for two years in Indonesia over a video that shows her saying a Muslim prayer before eating pork.

Lina Lutfiawati, who is better known as Lina Mukherjee due to her love of Bollywood movies, is a TikTok influencer with over two million followers on the platform. She also identifies as Muslim.

In March 2023, Lutfiawati, 33, posted a video where she uttered “Bismillah” – an Arabic phrase that means “in the name of God” – before eating crispy pork skin, something that’s forbidden within Islam.

In the video, she is seen screwing her face up in disgust as she chews the meat.

At the time, Lutfiawati was traveling in Bali, a tourist hotspot in Indonesia that, unlike the rest of the country, has a majority Hindu population. The clip prompted uproar in the country, which is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, as the consumption of pork is forbidden in Islam.

The video got millions of views and was widely criticized, prompting another Indonesian to report her to the police for “knowingly eating pork skin as a Muslim”. The police went on to charge Lutfiawati in May for disseminating hateful information, saying it was an act of hostility over ethnicity, religion, and race, the BBC reports.

Lina Mukherjee sentenced to jail after eating pork in viral video

On Tuesday, September 19, a court in the city of Palembang on Sumatra found she had deliberately ‘spread information that was intended to incite hate or individual/group enmity based on religion’.

Lutfiawati was found guilty of “inciting hatred” against religious individuals and groups and was sentenced to two years in jail, Metro reports.

She also faces a fine of 250 million rupiah ($16,245). Her jail term may be extended by three months if she does not pay the fine.

After the trial, Lina told reporters that she was surprised with the verdict.

“I know that I am wrong but I did not expect this punishment,” Lutfiawati said on the local news station MetroTV.