Jakarta: A 53-year-old woman who tearfully begged officials not to confiscate food from her roadside stall as punishment for trading during the fasting month of Ramadan has become the unlikely face of a push for greater religious tolerance in Indonesia.

TV footage of Saeni pitifully pleading "please sir, help, please" as her warung (food stall) was raided by civil service police in Serang, west of Jakarta, on June 10 went viral in Indonesia, prompting an outpouring of public sympathy.

Saeni, a mother of four known as Ibu Eni, was in breach of a local bylaw that stipulates food stalls must not open in daylight hours during Ramadan.

The mayor of Serang had issued a circular authorising the civil service to raid outlets in breach of the bylaw.

"It was my fault, my mistake, it was before 4.30pm, so they took everything," Ibu Eni told Fairfax Media.

She said she was forced to use a 400,000 rupiah (about $40) bank loan to cover her losses and was so traumatised by the raid that she would stay shut for a whole month: "I am too scared to open now. I got sick after the raid, pain in my chest, fever, headaches."

Many Indonesians decried the raid as heavy-handed in a pluralistic country which recognises six religions. Only Muslims are required to fast during Ramadan and this does not include Muslim women who are pregnant or menstruating, the sick and children.

Marketing consultant Dwika Putra Hendrawan launched a crowdfunding campaign to support Ibu Eni. By midday on June 12, the campaign had generated an extraordinary 265 million rupiah (almost $30,000) from about 2000 donors.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo donated 10 million rupiah to Ibu Eni and several senior ministers called on Indonesians to be tolerant of people who were not fasting.

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo sent a team to Serang to review the bylaw to determine whether it is discriminatory.

"I know every region has the right to impose bylaws, but Serang is not like Aceh, which has special autonomy and sharia-based bylaws. It should uphold pluralism as well," Mr Tjahjo was quoted as saying in the Jakarta Post.

The remarkable impact of social media activism is now regularly seen in Indonesia.

One of the first examples was the case of Prita Mulyasari, an Indonesian housewife who in 2008 was misdiagnosed by Omni International Hospital in Tangerang as having dengue fever when she actually had mumps.

She was jailed and fined 204 million rupiah for defamation after a private email complaining about her misdiagnosis went viral.

A Facebook group called Koin untuk Prita (coins for Prita) raised money to help her pay the fine and the surge of public support led the hospital to drop the lawsuit. The Indonesian Supreme Court later overturned her conviction.

"Increasingly, Indonesians are using digital media platforms when it comes to expressing discontent with society," says Australian National University lecturer Ross Tapsell, who researches the media in Indonesia.

"Online is probably the most likely way people feel they can effect change. Going to local politicians is often futile and going through the courts is very difficult and expensive."

Dr Tapsell says Indonesian politicians are highly active on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Path and receive regular briefings on public sentiment and what people are saying online.

"Jokowi of course came to power through no small part from the assistance of young urban Jakartans who were very active on social media."

The online campaign for Ibu Eni was so successful the organisers decided to donate some of the money to other stallholders in Lebak and Serang who were raided on the same day.

An overwhelmed Ibu Eni told Fairfax Media she was touched so many people cared.

"I am grateful for everybody who donated, all the Muslims, Mr Jokowi ... the media, I am thankful to everybody. I will use the donations to get better, for capital for next time."

With Amilia Rosa

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