Removal of gay Muslim comic strip stirs controversy - Jakarta Post

Instagram.com/alpantuniThe government and social media platform Instagram gave conflicting statements regarding the shutdown of an Instagram account that posted a comic strip depicting the struggles of a gay Muslim man living in a religiously conservative society.

The government claimed on Wednesday that the social media giant, which is highly popular among Indonesians, had removed the account after an outcry from Indonesian internet users, who have in the past few years been in the grip of a moral panic about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Only hours after the government made the announcement, Instagram issued a statement denying such a claim.

"Instagram did not remove this account. There are a number of other reasons why an account may no longer be accessible, including, for example, if the account holder deleted the account, deac...