Warning to Australians heading to Bali due to little known Indonesian law

Australians have been warned about Indonesia’s strict laws against religious blasphemy after an influencer was arrested for saying Jesus should cut his hair in a TikTok video.

Ratu Thalisa, also known as Ratu Entok, is a transgender celebrity in her hometown Medan in North Sumatra province. She has over half a million followers on social media and also runs her successful skincare company Glow.

In a now-deleted TikTok livestream on October 4, Ms Thalisa held up a photo of Jesus on her phone in response to comments that she should cut her own hair.

“Don’t look like a woman, your hair should be shaved… like a monk,” she said during the livestream, which went viral after some viewers saved the footage.

“You shave your hair… yes. Don’t look like a woman, shave to look like his father. Men must be bald and closely shaven.’

A number of individuals and Christian groups have complained to authorities about the livestream, North Sumatra regional police said.

The population of North Sumatra is roughly 30 percent Christian, much higher than the Christian population of Indonesia as a whole, which is about 11 percent.

Islam is the country’s largest religion by population and is practiced by approximately 87 percent of the population.

Influencer Ratu Entok was arrested under Indonesia’s blasphemy laws after saying Jesus should get a haircut on a TikTok video (pictured)

Indonesia’s blasphemy laws cover the country’s major religions, including Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism, and apply to comments posted online (photo, tourists in Kuta, Bali)

Indonesia’s blasphemy laws cover the country’s major religions, which include Hinduism and Buddhism, and also apply to comments made online under the Electronic Information and Transactions Act.

North Sumatra Police Public Relations Head Chief Hadi Wahyudi said officers arrested Ms Thalisa at her home a few days after the live stream on October 8 and she is being investigated by the Cyber ​​Directorate.

The law, which carries a prison sentence of up to five years, has been criticized by human rights activists in recent years.

‘In Indonesia it is usually only Muslims who demand prosecution for blasphemy. It is rare for Christians to make similar demands. This toxic law must simply end,” said Andreas Harsono, researcher at Human Rights Watch Indonesia news.com.au.

Usman Hamid, the head of Amnesty Indonesia, said the organization recorded 120 cases of blasphemy across Indonesia between March 2018 and June 2024.

Between its introduction in 1965 and 2005 it was only used in eight cases.

Ms Entok has apologized for the video (pictured) and said she did not intend to cause offence

Some of the recent spikes in cases include a woman who complained about the number of speakers broadcasting the Islamic call to prayer, and a Muslim influencer who shared a video of herself eating a crispy pork dish, which is forbidden in Islam.

Ms Thalisa has since apologized “to everyone who did that”. was offended” by the video in a video titled “from the bottom of my heart,” which has been viewed more than a million times.

Her lawyer also apologized “to our Christian brothers and sisters.”

“We hope everyone can forgive our client,” they said.