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Agence France-Presse

A Christian woman charged with blasphemy has escaped jail for bringing a dog into a mosque, the latest religious case to draw headlines in Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation.
The case of Suzethe Margareth, 52, sparked outrage last summer when a video emerged showing her in a mosque in Bogor, near the nation’s capital Jakarta, wearing shoes and letting her dog run loose.
Dogs are considered impure in Islam, and wearing shoes is forbidden in a mosque.
A Bogor court ruled Wednesday that Margareth was guilty, but decided not to impose a prison term because she has paranoid schizophrenia.
Prosecutors had demanded a nine-month jail term.
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But Margareth testified that she went into the mosque because she was being chased and heard voices in her head saying her husband was getting married there.
Her lawyer welcomed the decision, saying her condition was clear from the way she spoke.
But mosque representative Ruslan A. Suhady slammed the mental health defence.
People with mental illnesses “usually roam on roads naked. This woman wore neat clothes,” he said.
The dog involved in the incident reportedly died soon after when it was hit by a car.
This is the latest in a string of controversial blasphemy cases in Indonesia, where rights groups have long campaigned against laws they say are frequently misused to target religious minorities.
Blasphemy convictions can result in up to five years in prison.


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Indonesia

Indonesian woman spared prison for bringing dog into mosque

Suzethe Margareth, centre, with her lawyers after her verdict at the Cibinong District Court in West Java, Indonesia. Photo: AP

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Suzethe Margareth, who is Christian, sparked outrage when a video emerged showing her wearing shoes in a mosque and letting her dog run loose
A court in the Muslim-majority nation found her guilty but decided not to impose a prison term because she has paranoid schizophrenia



A court in the Muslim-majority nation found Suzethe Margareth, who is Christian, guilty but decided not to impose a prison term because she has paranoid schizophrenia.


Religion