August 12, 2026 | 12:42 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A lawyer from the Muslim Legal Team, Moch Rizki Abdullah, reported an alleged case of religious blasphemy at a liquor booth that sponsored The Sounds Project music festival in Ancol, North Jakarta, Indonesia, to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The alleged incident took place on Sunday, August 9, and went viral on social media. Here is what to know about the case.
What happened?
The controversy began after a video circulated online showing a woman reciting verses from the Quran at a liquor booth during The Sounds Project festival.
According to claims circulating on social media, the booth allegedly held a challenge in which participants were asked to recite Quranic verses from memory in exchange for a bottle of liquor.
The video triggered accusations of religious blasphemy, prompting a police report and an investigation.
Who was reported to police?
Rizki said his legal team reported about five parties to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police.
They included the event organizer, the liquor producer, two masters of ceremony, and the woman who allegedly recited the Quran in exchange for liquor.
The legal team submitted video recordings and screenshots as evidence and cited Article 300 of Indonesia’s Criminal Code (KUHP) in the report.
The report was registered under number LP/B/5914/VIII/2026/SPKT/POLDAMETROJAYA.
Rizki said the legal team wanted all parties allegedly involved to be held legally accountable. He also said there would be no settlement, even if the parties involved issued apologies.
What does police say?
Jakarta Metropolitan Police spokesman Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto said Pademangan Police and the North Jakarta Metropolitan Police were investigating the alleged blasphemy case.
According to Budi, investigators were coordinating with the event organizer and the booth operator as part of the investigation.
Investigators were scheduled to question representatives of the event organizer and the festival’s MCs on Tuesday, August 11.
Police will then complete the investigation’s administrative process before conducting a case review. Authorities have also said they will facilitate members of the public who wish to file reports related to the incident.
What does The Sounds Project say?
The Sounds Project organizers said the incident occurred entirely outside their direction, approval and control.
They condemned the behavior and said they had never authorized, and would never condone, the use of religion as part of a challenge or as a means of promoting a product.
The organizers said they do not tolerate religious blasphemy or actions that could offend racial, religious, ethnic or other identity groups (SARA) by anyone operating at the festival, including sponsors and business partners.
They said they had taken three steps in response to the incident: reprimanding the sponsor and asking it to resolve the matter, closely monitoring efforts to identify those directly involved so they can take full responsibility, and conducting an internal evaluation to prevent similar incidents.
The organizers also emphasized that respecting the religions and beliefs of all festival attendees remains a core value of the event, adding that violations of that principle would not be tolerated.
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