On Thursday, an Indonesian man was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for denying God's existence on his Facebook page. Alexander Aan, of West Sumatra, was found guilty of inciting religious hatred and tarnishing Islam. The 30-year-old was also fined the equivalent of $10,600.
| It's that whole 'freedom of thought' idea: as Fred has explained it in the past, if you don't have that freedom, you don't have any others. |
Aan was accused of writing "God doesn't exist," and posting links to explicit cartoons showing Mohammed having sex with a maid, and being attracted to his daughter-in-law. He also reportedly started the Facebook group "Ateis Minang," Minang Atheist.
Aan was arrested in January after an angry mob reacting to the posts stormed his office and beat him. Police intervened and took Aan to the police station for his safety.
In a written statement in February, Aan said he regretted his deeds and prayed for God's mercy. After the ruling Aan said, "I accept the judgment and will abide by it. For me, faith is a personal matter and I have expressed my regret and apology to every party, including my family."
Aan's lawyer said they will appeal the verdict, contending Aan had no intention of inciting religious hatred and was simply in a period of religious confusion at the time. 
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