At
least 200,000 Muslims poured into Jakarta on Friday to demand that the Christian
governor of the city be jailed after allegedly insulting the Qur'an.
According to ABC News, the protest ended peacefully, though 10
people were arrested. A similar demonstration held in November turned violent,
with one person killed and dozens injured.
The
protesters were calling for Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is known as Ahok, to be
arrested following a complaint of blasphemy lodged against him in October.
Ahok,
who is an an ethnic Chinese Christian, is alleged to have delivered a speech in
September during which he accused his rivals of using the Qur'an to deceive
voters. This speech was then posted online, where his words were edited to make
it look as though he was directly criticising the Islamic holy book. The Islamic
Defenders Front, a hard-line group that campaigns for Sharia law, demanded his
arrest.
Blasphemy
is a criminal offence in Indonesia and dozens of people have been convicted in
the last decade, some sent to prison for as long as five years.
Police
have confirmed they are investigating the allegation and Ahok is not allowed to
leave the country, though he has not been detained.
According
to Reuters, a sea of protesters dressed in white today filled downtown Jakarta,
chanting, praying and holding banners demanding that Ahok is
jailed.
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