Indonesia's popular bar chain shut after blasphemy charges over drinks promotion

Municipal officers seal the Holywings bar after police charged six employees with blasphemy over a promotional activity offering free alcohol for people named "Muhammad" or "Maria" in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. - Reuters

JAKARTA, June 28 (Reuters): Indonesian authorities stripped a bar and restaurant chain in the capital, Jakarta, of its operating permit after police charged six employees with blasphemy over a promotion offering free drinks for people named Mohammad or Maria.

Critics have said Indonesia's strict blasphemy laws are being used to erode a long-standing reputation for tolerance and diversity in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country.