Cleric jailed for flouting restrictions

JAKARTA: A firebrand Indonesian cleric was jailed yesterday for holding sermons and other gatherings that drew tens of thousands of followers, breaking virus restrictions in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation.

The eight-month prison term handed to Rizieq Shihab comes several months after Indonesia outlawed his influential hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) in the aftermath of a deadly shoot-out between police and his followers.

Yesterday, East Jakarta District Court jailed Shihab for urging supporters to attend sermons, a celebration of the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday, and his daughter’s wedding.