The oldest church in Surakarta, Indonesia. (Fadhel Muhammad / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin September 8, 2026 at 6:30am
An Indonesian pastor was accused of hate speech against Islam in July and sentenced to two years in prison.
Dedi Saputra, a pastor and convert to Christianity, was arrested in February in a case that continues to draw attention in Indonesia, according to an Aug. 21 release from International Christian Concern.
He was accused of blasphemy and hate speech via social media by the Aceh Regional Police, with a panel of judges at the Banda Aceh District Court sentencing him to two years in prison.
The sentence was half the term initially sought by the public prosecutor.
International Christian Concern said that “Saputra was legally and convincingly proven to have disseminated hate speech and committed blasphemy against Islam.”
The presiding judge said “the defendant disseminated the content via his TikTok social media account in October 2025.”
“His actions caused unrest among the people of Aceh, a region deeply characterized by its Islamic identity.”
A Christian leader in Indonesia was arrested on February 18th following the online comments he made about Muhammad. According to reports, Dedi Saputra allegedly referenced the Muslim prophet’s multiple wives on his TikTok account. Before being removed, Dedi’s video was viewed… pic.twitter.com/jxLnDdzkYt
— Voice of the Martyrs Canada (@VOMC) March 9, 2026
Saputra was responding to claims online about his conversion to Christianity.
His legal team argued that Saputra had made no hateful remarks toward the people of Aceh.
The case generated added controversy because the public prosecutor uttered the remark “the blood of an apostate is lawful to shed.”
Islam heavily discourages apostasy, with converts to Christianity in the Islamic world sometimes threatened with capital punishment for following Jesus.
The Islamic religion indeed poses the greatest persecution threat to Indonesian Christians, according to the watchdog ministry Open Doors.
“Converts come mainly from a Muslim background and face the most severe persecution,” Open Doors summarized.
“If their conversion is discovered, they are put under pressure to give up their new faith.”
☪️✝️ HE LEFT ISLAM FOR CHRISTIANITY. NOW HE IS IN PRISON FOR CRITICISING ISLAM.
Dedi Saputra is a 31-year-old Indonesian who left Islam, became a Christian and reportedly became a pastor.
Then he criticised Islam and Muhammad on TikTok.
On July 10, the Banda Aceh District…
— Dissenting Citizen (@H1dd3nH4nd) August 28, 2026
In the same way, Christians on the “predominantly Hindu island of Bali” face substantial risk upon forsaking Hinduism.
“Pressure on converts comes mainly from family, friends, community and the local authorities. In general, the pressure on converts in cities is less than in rural areas,” Open Doors added.
Baptists, Pentecostals, and evangelicals who seek to share the gospel are also targeted by radical Islamic groups and by their communities.
“Building or renovating a church can be fraught with difficulties — the authorities must issue a permit and Islamic groups and neighbors will often attempt to hinder the actual building process,” Open Doors continued.
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Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
