New York Times: Islamists March in Indonesian Capital, Demanding Christian Governor Be Jailed
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Tens of thousands of Indonesians marched in Jakarta on Friday, demanding that the city’s first Christian governor in decades be jailed for blasphemy. The rally was a show of strength by conservative Islamic groups, who were offended by his earlier remarks about the Quran and want to weaken him as he runs for re-election.
The governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, is an ethnic Chinese Indonesian and the first Christian in nearly 50 years to govern Jakarta, capital of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.
He has been a political target of some Islamic organizations since taking office in 2014. Some of those groups seized on comments he made in September to a group of fishermen, in which he lightheartedly cited a Quran verse that warns against taking Christians and Jews as friends.
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More News On Today's Mass Protests In Indonesia
Indonesian police quell mass protest by hardline Muslims -- Reuters
Indonesia: Thousands rally against blasphemy in Jakarta -- Al Jazeera
Thousands rally in Jakarta over governor's alleged blasphemy -- CNN
Indonesia’s ‘Robocop’ police take to the streets in violent battles with protesters who accuse Jakarta’s governor of ‘insulting the Koran’ -- Daily Mail
Indonesia President: Political Meddling Behind Jakarta Clash -- AP
Hard-Line Strain of Islam Gains Ground in Indonesia, World’s Largest Muslim Country -- WSJ