Fact check: Are Muslims harassing non-fasters in Indonesia?

A video which has gathered over 1.5 million views on X, formerly Twitter, purports to show a group of Muslims attacking people at an Indonesian cafe for not fasting during Ramadan.

In the video, the men can be seen emptying customers' drinks onto the floor and throwing away bottles.

DW fact check analyzed the claim.

Claim: "In Indonesia, Muslims are hunting down anyone who doesn't observe Ramadan, even Christians. This is Islam. Coming soon to your neighborhood Europe," says the post.

DW Fact check: Misleading

A reverse image search for screenshots of the video quickly reveals that the footage was widely reported in mainstream Indonesian media, including the major national paper Kompas as well as CNN Indonesia.

In the video, reportedly taken on Wednesday, March 5, a group of men are indeed seen harassing customers at a food stall in the town of Garut in West Java, Indonesia, and asking them why, as Muslims, they are drinking coffee during Ramadan.

Asked if he is a Muslim, the man responds that he is, but that he had not eaten suhur, the early meal before fasting begins. His interrogator does not  appear not convinced by the answer and thinks it is an excuse. He then asks a woman why she even served coffee during Ramadan. Another man angrily bangs the table, accusing the coffee drinker of being disrespectful.

Others comment on the situation, including someone questioning why another person is smoking during Ramadan. The cameraman then points out the individuals involved.

However, there is no suggestion that anyone is "hunting down Christians," as the original social media post suggests. The man being harassed in the video is a Muslim.

The account which posted the video, called Radio Genoa, is a well-known Italian far-right propaganda channel, which built up a following by spreading conspiracy theories during the coronavirus pandemic. Now it mainly spreads mis- and disinformation about migrants, Islam and violent crimes allegedly committed by asylum seekers in Europe.

"Like any propaganda station, Radio Genoa doesn't just stir up its audience with fake news, but with a mixture of lies, half-truths and facts," wrote the Swiss broadsheet Neue Zürcher Zeitung in a December 2023 investigation. "Linger too long on the portal, and one can easily get the impression that European countries are being overrun by hordes of barbarians."

How has Indonesia responded?

According to local media and local politicians, the perpetrators belonged to the Garut Islamic Alliance (AUI), an Indonesian organization.

The incident has been widely condemned in Indonesia, with local Deputy Regent Putri Karlina expressing concern that it would damage Garut's reputation.

"If Garut is known for its societal organizations causing trouble, for anarchists and all sorts of things, I am worried that Garut will be labeled as a city that is not investor-friendly," she said in comments reported by the Tribun Network.

She reportedly held a meeting with representatives of the AUI, which has insisted that the incident took place without their knowledge, but nevertheless apologized.

"On behalf of AUI, we apologize for the actions that were out of control and promise not to repeat them in the future," said coordinator Ceng Aam.

With around 242 million people (87%) identifying as Muslim, Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Nevertheless, Indonesia is not an officially Muslim country, and all religions have equal status under the constitution. Around 11% of Indonesians are Christian.

According to the Religious Harmony Index (KUB), almost 76.5% of Indonesians considered themselves "tolerant of other people's religions" in 2023.

Yuniman Farid contributed to this fact check.

Edited by: Rachel Baig