Instagram on Wednesday (Feb 13) shut down an account that published comic strips about the struggles of a gay Muslim in Indonesia after it sparked a backlash in the world’s biggest Islamic nation.
The move comes after Indonesia’s communications ministry sent a letter to the social media giant warning that the “pornographic” content violated an electronic information law.
The now-deleted account, which had about 6,000 followers, published a dozen posts depicting a gay Muslim man named Alpantuni who talked about discrimination and his life in a conservative family.
“My family is very religious. I have to pray five times a day, but I’ve got a secret,” the character said in one strip that has since been deleted.
“I’m very pious in front of others, but in private I’m gay.”
Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia – except in Aceh province under the region’s Islamic law – but a backlash against the vulnerable LGBT community is growing and same-sex relationships are widely frowned upon.
Read more at channelnewsasia.com
