Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — A video generated using artificial intelligence (AI) depicting ‘Hell’ has stirred controversy in Indonesia, drawing backlash from both the public and religious authorities.
The video, which portrays a fiery depiction of hell, was produced using Google’s latest AI model, Veo 3, and quickly went viral on social media.
Thera are some versions of the video showing a man immersed in a river of fire, with flames blazing in the background. In another clip, a man wearing white appears to vlog from within a similarly infernal setting, while others dressed in ragged clothing are seen walking through or swimming in what resembles molten lava.
“Taking a lava bath, turns out it’s kinda fun, and really hot,” the narrator jokes in one scene.
While some viewers saw it as satire or creative experimentation, many others reacted with anger, calling the content disrespectful and offensive to religious beliefs.
The Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), the country’s top Islamic authority, condemned the AI generated video of ‘Hell’ and demanded legal action against its creator.
“This is a clear attempt to undermine Islamic faith by trivializing the concept of hellfire,” said Utang Ranuwijaya, head of MUI’s Research and Development Division, as reported by detik on Tuesday (July 10).
“The video misleads the public by portraying the hereafter in a comical and earthly way, it’s a distortion of sacred beliefs.”
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Utang emphasized that the afterlife, including the concept of hell, is part of the unseen (ghaib) in Islamic theology and cannot be depicted using physical or earthly imagery.
“Reducing such concepts to visual entertainment risks eroding faith, especially among younger audiences with weaker religious foundations,” he warned.
He further argued that mocking or desecrating religion violates both religious norms and Indonesian law. “This could fall under violations of the Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE) Law, the 1965 Blasphemy Law, and Article 156a of the Criminal Code,” he said.
The MUI has urged the video creator to take down the content immediately and called on law enforcement to pursue the matter legally.
(Raidi/Agung)
