Stewart Fenwick

Dr Stewart Fenwick is the author of ‘Blasphemy, Islam and the State: Pluralism and Liberalism in Indonesia’, published by Routledge in 2017. He is an honorary professor at Australian Catholic University and Senior Associate at the Centre for Indonesian Law Islam and Society at Melbourne Law School.

Blasphemy in Indonesia: a shield or a sword?

May 15, 2017

In a decision that shocked many, judges last week sentenced former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama to two years in prison for blasphemy. Dr Stewart Fenwick, who recently completed a book on the Blasphemy Law, writes that the case demonstrates how the law and the courts can be exploited for political and religious purposes.