Protesters Level Charges Against Jakarta’s Governor
Indonesian police are currently investigating the governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, for blasphemy, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Participants in ongoing protests, which started just days before campaigning for the next gubernatorial election, have called for charges to be filed against Jakarta’s first Christian governor, better known as “Ahok” in the Muslim-majority nation.
The comments under investigation involve al-Ma’idah 51 from the Qur’an. Some interpret the verse as banning Muslims from living under the rule of non-Muslims, but many do not share this viewpoint. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Ahok was caught on video speaking to a group of fishermen about how al-Ma’idah 51 deceived Muslims. The video later went viral and sparked public outrage.
Ahok has long been a controversial figure in Indonesian politics. The Sydney Morning Herald has described him as “impulsive and polarising.” On one hand, he has made many contributions to his city, such as improving flood prevention efforts, public transportation, and the bureaucracy under his leadership. Jakarta’s government also launched an app, called Qlue, to help citizens more easily report problems to the city. On the other hand, Ahok has adopted certain controversial positions. Tempo quotes Megawati Sukarnoputri, the president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004 and the current leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, saying that he wishes for “some magic tape to put [over Ahok’s mouth] so that Ahok would talk as we hope.” Ahok’s controversial actions include forcibly evicting many of Jakarta’s poor from their homes, questioning a ban on beer in mini marts, and claiming he can win the election without the support of a political party. The Jakarta Post reports that Ahok has reversed his position on the latter issue and seeks the backing of the Golkar Party, the Hanura Party and the NasDem Party in February’s gubernatorial election.
A protest held near the Presidential Palace on November 4 quickly turned violent, as protestors attacked members of the police force and called for Ahok to be executed for his comments against Islam. According to The Jakarta Post, the two largest Indonesian Muslim organizations, Nadlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, independently discouraged their members from participating in the protest. Nadlatul Ulama banned its members from attending, while Muhammadiyah maintained that each individual had the right to participate but refused to encourage the protests.
Conversely, Ja’far Shodiq, the secretary general of the Islam Defenders Front, sought to explain and justify the desire for charges against Ahok. According to The Jakarta Post, he stated, “Indonesia is a country based on the rule of law. We want the state to show presence in this case, because the law has regulations on this.” In the same speech, given at Istiqlal Mosque immediately before a protest on October 14, Shodiq also called for protests to be peaceful.