American who stormed 'noisy' Muslim prayer room in Indonesia is jailed for blasphemy

[blue]

An American has been sentenced to five months in jail in Indonesia for blasphemy and disorderly conduct.

The court in West Nusa Tenggara ruled that Gregory Luke had insulted Islam by storming into a prayer room near his house in Kuta village during Ramadan and pulling out the speaker cables.

Judge Suhartoyo said Luke, 64, had been found guilty of two counts of blasphemy and one of disorderly conduct in August.


Luke Lloyd smiles from behind the bars of Mataram's court detention house as he waited for his trial

The five-month sentence, including time already served, is lighter than the seven months sought by prosecutors.

As Luke has been in custody since September 17, he is expected to be released by mid-February.

Suhartoyo said there were mitigating circumstances for handing down a lighter sentence. 'The defendant has never committed a crime before, acted politely during the trial and expressed regret for his act,' he explained.

Suhartoyo said another factor in Luke’s favour was that he was a Muslim and had claimed it was never his intention to blaspheme Islam.

'There’s also the factor of his advanced age and desire to remain in Indonesia and help develop the tourism sector in Lombok,' the judge said. Luke runs a guesthouse in Kuta village.

Speaking after the hearing, Luke said he was satisfied with the light sentence. 'I’m very happy, I feel really good today,' he said. 'I accept the sentence that I received.'

He added he was not sure yet whether he would return to Kuta after his release. 'I haven’t made any plans yet,' he said.

Luke had previously denied the charges, saying he was assaulted without ever having set foot in the musholla and had simply asked that the amplifiers be turned down.

An acquaintance also testified that Luke’s grasp of Indonesian was too poor to have made the offensive remarks attributed to him by the villagers.

In the incident, Luke was attacked by a mob and his home ransack

[dobella]

If i were him, upon release i'd get the f*ck out of there.
Muslim or infidel never mind, he is a dead man walking if he stays.

[blue]

I stayed in Lombok , right next to a mosque ,terrible noise they make at all hours

[dobella]

I worked offshore of Merak, West Java some years ago and a workmate was with a girl for the night at her place.
The locals surrounded the place, demanding she come out.
After a stand off, all went peacefully but she left the area due to harrasment.
Prostitution was prevalent there, but not in certain areas - what a fu*ked up religion these black hats have.

[BobR]

There is nothing in this story that would make me anti-Muslim, this guy was just plain stupid. Disturbing a religious ceremony is a criminal act in most countries.

[Rigger]

There is nothing in this story that would make me anti-Muslim, this guy was just plain stupid. Disturbing a religious ceremony is a criminal act in most countries.

And what ever story on Islam is meant too ?
All religion is foked and only followed by people that are retarded.

[Sakeopete]

^^^ Agree 100%, I can understand the uneducated brain washed masses in the Middle East who have no choice but to follow Islam or face death. However there is no excuse for the Christian nut cases who are free to choose.

[The Master Cool]

Another ignorant dumbfuck American.

What an embarrassment these people are to the rest of the world. It's really a pity that the average American is allowed to leave their country.

[SEA Traveler]

inconsiderate action and have no problem with the sentence. what is also inconsiderate is the loud speaker sounds at un "god"ly hours of the early morning and throughout the day.

[BobR]

There is nothing in this story that would make me anti-Muslim, this guy was just plain stupid. Disturbing a religious ceremony is a criminal act in most countries.

And what ever story on Islam is meant too ?
All religion is foked and only followed by people that are retarded.

In the Western media, most of them. In this story, why couldn't it have been described as a "prayer room" or a religious activity. The reporters of this story are overly anxious to associate Muslim and someone going to jail, even if he deserved it.

[larvidchr]

The only reason many of us take any kind of religious considerations is because we are forced to do so, and that the negative consequences of not doing so is not worth it.

But it is high time more people and Governments/legislation start to stop the crap about religious nutters having any special demands on considerations of any kind in the public space, why on earth should any intelligent human take notice of people believing in those horrendous fairytales, black magic, people living on clouds, virgins in the sky, a mercifull God .

Suffering from such serious delusions is a Psychiatric condition that normally would demand hospital treatment and incarceration until the patients where deemed safe for others. As long as anyone will kill in the name of a God, punish others for not accepting and bowing to their delusions ect., they are not safe enough to be allowed out and about.

This US guy in question claims to be a muslim himself, so at-least he is in the correct place "Prison", now all that's missing is the accusers and members of the police and courts that prosecuted him to join him in the cell.

[Nostradamus]

I stayed in Lombok , right next to a mosque ,terrible noise they make at all hours

They are noisy enough around here on Charoen Krung in Bangkok.

Noodles and I walked past the local Mosque the other day and there were signs of animal sacrifice; tens of bloody animals heads stacked up outside with flies buzzing around them. Regularly I see them wheeling away the carcasses and bloody skulls of horned animals, they look like buffalo or large goats but I am no expert.

Disturbing a religious ceremony is a criminal act in most countries.

Link?

You have to wonder why these people are so scared of life as to cow tow to the big eyeball in the sky.

[tuktukdriver]

Another ignorant dumbfuck American.

What an embarrassment these people are to the rest of the world. It's really a pity that the average American is allowed to leave their country.

What's really a pity is that English people are allowed to use the internet. Talk about embarrassment....

[Jools]

Larv...you and I won't agree on the drug issue but we will sure as hell agree on this one.
Men in the sky and their worshipers deserve no protection from the government of any country...ESPECIALLY if they are disturbing the peace. Of course, the concept of "peace" doesn't really exist in most Muslim countries.

The only reason many of us take any kind of religious considerations is because we are forced to do so, and that the negative consequences of not doing so is not worth it.

But it is high time more people and Governments/legislation start to stop the crap about religious nutters having any special demands on considerations of any kind in the public space, why on earth should any intelligent human take notice of people believing in those horrendous fairytales, black magic, people living on clouds, virgins in the sky, a mercifull God .

Suffering from such serious delusions is a Psychiatric condition that normally would demand hospital treatment and incarceration until the patients where deemed safe for others. As long as anyone will kill in the name of a God, punish others for not accepting and bowing to their delusions ect., they are not safe enough to be allowed out and about.

This US guy in question claims to be a muslim himself, so at-least he is in the correct place "Prison", now all that's missing is the accusers and members of the police and courts that prosecuted him to join him in the cell.

[Jools]

Another ignorant dumbfuck American.

What an embarrassment these people are to the rest of the world. It's really a pity that the average American is allowed to leave their country.

Brilliant minds such as yours should have the opportunity to investigate what your own country might have been like without those "ignorant, dumbfuck Americans".
If saluting Hitler or Hirohito or Stalin would have been more to your liking, then it is fairly obvious who should not be allowed to leave his country. The Yanks and I won't agree on everything but the U.S.A. has been a staunch defender of freedom for quite some time now. No country can claim to be free of tactical mistakes or foreign policy missteps, but the "broad brush" approach to categorizing Yanks is not worthy of a thinking man.

[Perota]

But it is high time more people and Governments/legislation start to stop the crap about religious nutters having any special demands on considerations of any kind in the public space, why on earth should any intelligent human take notice of people believing in those horrendous fairytales, black magic, people living on clouds, virgins in the sky, a mercifull God .

Suffering from such serious delusions is a Psychiatric condition that normally would demand hospital treatment and incarceration until the patients where deemed safe for others. As long as anyone will kill in the name of a God, punish others for not accepting and bowing to their delusions ect., they are not safe enough to be allowed out and about.

I never thought of you as a true communist atheist Larv, one can be so wrong sometime ...

[Scottish Gary]

I stayed in Lombok , right next to a mosque ,terrible noise they make at all hours

Its looks like you have not got the anti islam racist bile you were looking for with your original post.. You better come back with something better next time

[blue]

ok i'll try harder , just for you Gary ....
I've got lots of spare time now till the new year

[EssEffBee]

Politics, Law & Religion have no place as bedfellows. Anybody with a hundredth of a brain cell can easily see how these 3 things, when connected, can allow complete tyranny of a country/nation.

I once met an "religious" person. This was the conversation:

Them: Did you know that I am a <irrelevant>?
Me: No I didn't. Why are you <irrelevant>?
Them: I was born as a/an <irrelevant>.
Me: Can't you simply choose to 'not be' a/an <irrelevant>?
Them: No. My family would dob me in to the authorities.
Me: What authorities? Why?
Them: The religious authorities. If I don't conform, my family will suffer.
Me: What would they do to you?
Them: Nothing but they would bring shame on my family.
Me: Let me get this right...if your family know that you don't want to conform, they will tell others, even though they know that it will bring them harm?
Them: Yes. My family want me to conform to 'keep the peace'. My family would be 'cast out' & nobody would speak to them or help them if I didn't conform.
Me: Is this how a loving god/religion & family treats people in your religion?
Them: I know but I have to live with my family.

The whole thing is a setup to trap people into 'following', disregarding what the religion is.

[ItsRobsLife]

I stayed in Lombok , right next to a mosque ,terrible noise they make at all hours

They are noisy enough around here on Charoen Krung in Bangkok.

Move to a better class of shit hole then.

[billy the kid]

doin jail time for this is totally out of order
no such thing as forgiveness wiv dese fokin rag-heads. ?????
jail im ,,kill im/her,, hang im,, stone er, cut off hand ,,cut off foot,cut off head,,
rape a 9 year old cause she is different.
they are stark raving fokin insane madmen.

[Smug Farang Bore]

^ So true.

[blue]

he does not look like a muslim convert
more like a happy born again christian type

[billy the kid]

how will he look after the jail term,
long time in a mussie prison.