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Pandji Pragiwaksono is the biggest comedian from Indonesia. But for him to perform in his home country, he must have his material approved by the government. “I’m required to send a transcript of my jokes to the police,” he tells Variety. Only after the cops sign off on his punchlines will they provide a permit for the event. After one special where he targeted Indonesia’s two largest Muslim organizations for accepting state mining concessions (therefore tying themselves to the Indonesian government), six people filed police reports accusing Pragiwaksono of blasphemy. He was interrogated on four occasions, for six hours each. Pragiwaksono believes the campaign against him is politically motivated and that the vice president is behind it. “A week after the special was released, over 1,000 Muslim people poured into the streets protesting my jokes, saying that it was blasphemy and it was condescending Islam,” Pragiwaksono says. “It caught me by surprise because I have no intentions of condescending Islam. The joke wasn’t even about religion.” Read the full profile from @ethanshanfeld: wp.me/pc8uak-1lHApO