Largest Islamic Country in the World Becoming Less Tolerant

Islam almost always tends toward more and more extremism. Moderate Islamic countries are becoming more and more hard line, countries like Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran. The civil war (read proxy war) in Syria is about removing Bashar al Assad because he is not Islamic enough. All through Africa there are rebel groups who want to install more radical governments. 

Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country on the planet and this political circus was orchestrated for one purpose - to remove a Christian Governor of Jakarta and replace him with a Muslim. This is not a good sign for Indonesia or the rest of the world for that matter, but it does add another piece to my theory that Islam tends toward more radical Islam.

Jakarta's Christian governor jailed for

two years for blasphemy

       

 © POOL/AFP | Jakarta's Christian governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (bottom L), is convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison

JAKARTA (AFP) - 

Jakarta's Christian governor was jailed for two years Tuesday after being found guilty of committing blasphemy, capping a saga seen as a test of religious tolerance in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

Presiding judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarto told the Jakarta court that Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was "convincingly guilty of committing blasphemy and is sentenced to two years in prison".

He ordered Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, to be detained. Purnama said: "We will file an appeal." Islamic hardliners outside the court cheered as news of verdict emerged and shouted "God is greatest".

Purnama was hauled into court last year to face trial for allegedly insulting Islam while campaigning for re-election in a case critics said was politically motivated.

The trial came after a series of major protests against the capital's leader that drew hundreds of thousands onto the streets.

His once unassailable opinion poll lead shrank amid the controversy and he lost the race to lead Jakarta last month to a Muslim challenger, a result that fuelled fears of Indonesia's moderate brand of Islam coming under threat from increasingly influential radicals.

Jakarka Governor Issues Emotional Defense Against Blasphemy Charges

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama told a courtroom Tuesday he chose his words poorly but sought to make a statement about his rival politicians, not insult the Muslim religion.

By Stephen Feller

Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by the nickname Ahok, at center, sits in the defendant's chair in a courtroom shortly before his blasphemy trial hearing at North Jakarta 

District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 13, 2016. Ahok is on trial for blasphemy due

to comments he made in reference to a Koranic verse while campaigning in September 2016.

Photo by Tatan Syuflana/Pool/European Pressphoto Agency

JAKARTA, (UPI) -- With tears in his eyes, the governor of Jakarta told a courtroom Tuesday he did not mean to insult Islam in a speech several weeks ago, but instead clarify the use of a phrase from the Koran he felt was being misstated to mislead voters.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the Christian governor of Indonesia's largest city, defended himself on the first day of his trial for blasphemy, saying those running against him were attempting to use a line from the Koran about not voting for non-Muslims to avoid a "healthy" competition in the election.

"I am very sad that I have been accused of insulting Muslims. It is the same to me as insulting my godparents, my family," Purnama, known by his nickname, Ahok, told the court as protesters outside the courthouse nearly drowned him out. "My godparents love for me had a deep impact."

Ahok, who is ethnically Chinese and Christian and the adoptive son of a religious Muslim family, was investigated and charged by the government after a September 26 speech calling out his opponents for the use of verse 51 of the fifth Surat, referred to as the al-Maida.


No voting for non-Muslim 

The al-Maida commands Muslims to never vote for a non-Muslim as leader. Ahok said his political opponents use of it was an incorrect interpretation because it was written at a time when there were concerns Muslims who opposed the Prophet Muhammad would join with non-Muslims to have him killed.

"So clearly it wasn't intended to refer to choosing a government leader," he said. "In Indonesia, a government leader is not a religious leader," Ahok said. "[My comments] were aimed at elite politicians who incorrectly used the al-Maida verse because they refused to compete in a healthy way during a local election."

Ahok told the court his quip during the speech -- "That's your right, so if you can't choose me because you are afraid you will go to hell, that's OK," he said -- was meant as a lighthearted response to those attempting to use religion against him among the 90 percent Muslim populace in Indonesia.

"In this case, perhaps my language might have given the wrong perception or interpretation from what I had intended or meant," Ahok said in court.

Though he asked the court to dismiss the charges so he can "go back to serving the citizens of Jakarta and developing the city," many in the city, including the thousands who have continued to protest him, including during the trial's first day, don't agree. And among the 100 blasphemy convictions in Indonesia in the last decade, just one did not result in a conviction.

Ahok is next due in court on Dec. 20. If found guilty, the mayor could be sentenced to up to five years in jail.

Indonesian courts, even at the highest levels are subject to influence. Just ask Neil Bantleman.

30,000 Counter-March in Indonesia's War on Christianity

Tens of thousands march in Indonesia to support first Christian governor after ‘blasphemy’ protests

    People attend a rally calling for national unity and tolerance in central Jakarta, Indonesia 
    December 4, 2016. © Darren Whiteside / Reuters

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, to show national unity and call for tolerance after a 200,000-strong Muslim rally demanded the arrest of the city’s first Christian governor for alleged blasphemy.

Crowds holding up ‘We are Indonesia’ signs and waving red-and-white national flags flooded the streets of Jakarta on Sunday, filling a major traffic circle downtown, AP reported.

The rally reportedly was organized in response to two massive protests staged in the past month by hardline Muslim conservatives against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, nicknamed ‘Ahok’ – the first ethnic Chinese governor of Jakarta and the first Christian to hold the post in 50 years.

According to Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono, roughly 30,000 people attended the rally.

The ‘Parade of Indonesian Culture,’ as the unity demonstration was dubbed by its organizers, featured traditional dances from Sabang in the country’s westernmost Aceh region to Merauke in its easternmost Papua region.

Political leaders from President Joko Widodo’s pro-government coalition also attended the rally to promote unity in the ethnically diverse country.

“We have to fight to materialize the aims of our independence. That will not happen if we are scattered, blaspheming, humiliating each other and no longer trust each other,” Surya Paloh, chairman of the National Democratic Party, was quoted as saying by AP.

“Our main enemies are stupidity and poverty. Therefore, we ask the current government to work harder and persistently on fulfilling the people’s aspirations,” he added.

Earlier on Friday, Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, saw at least 200,000 people call for the arrest of Governor Purnama, who has been accused of disrespecting the Koran – a charge that could put him in prison for five years.

“Let’s defend our religion,” Rizieq Shihab, leader of the Islamic Defenders’ Front (FPI) – a hardline Islamist group – said at the rally in a speech quoted by AFP. “Stop all forms of religious blasphemy and put all violators on trial.”

It's not about defending Islam, it's is about attacking Christianity. 

Purnama got into trouble when he used a quote from the Koran in a speech about his political opponents, who he accused of misinterpreting the verse to urge people to vote against him. The Governor has since apologized for his remark, saying that he had intended to criticize his opponents, and not the holy book itself.

It appears Ahok quoted the Quran correctly but is being accused of blasphemy by those who quoted it incorrectly for political purposes. Those are the people who should be on trial for blasphemy. 

Cudos to the organizers of today's parade. To pull together such an extensive cultural event in a couple days is quite extraordinary.

War on Christianity - Jakarta Theater

Indonesian police investigate Jakarta governor
for blasphemy

The governor had spoken out against political opponents who suggest the Koran bars Muslims from voting for a non-Muslim leader

By Stephen Feller

Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, pictured speaking with journalists on Nov. 7, is being

formally investigated on allegations of blasphemy for a statement he made about a passage in the

Koran that may restrict Muslims from electing a non-Muslim as their leader. Purnama, who is a

Christian, said he meant no blasphemy by the statement and told supporters he was not worried

about the allegations. Photo by Adi Weda/European Photo Agency

JAKARTA, (UPI) -- The governor of Indonesia's largest city may be charged with blasphemy for comments he made about a passage in the Koran, according to law enforcement officials in the country.

Jakarka Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was formally named a suspect Tuesday for blasphemy and is expected to go to trial after saying political opponents were using the Koran to trick voters into voting against him, a statement which triggered the largest protests in the country in several years.

Purnama, also known by his nickname Ahok, last week accused political opponents of using a verse from the Koran that says Muslim followers should not elect a non-Muslim as a leader, saying the holy book does not actually bar them from voting for a non-Muslim.

The statement was taken by many as an insult to the religion, drawing as many as 200,000 people into the street protesting the governor and demanding he be held legally responsible for the statement.

The 'insult', apparently, is that a non-Muslim actually made reference to the Quran suggesting what it says. It matters not whether what he says is correct, only that he, a Christian, said it. 

The Muslim-majority nation is protective of the religion and Ahok is a member of Indonesia's ethnic Chinese minority. He also is an ally of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, having succeeded him as Jakarta governor when Widodo won the presidential election in 2014.

Ahok told supporters Wednesday, before the announcement, that he was not worried about the potential for charges to be filed against him and vowed to continue with the race.

"Don't let your spirit be broken," Ahok said. "Can you imagine how embarrassed they who slander us will be if I am declared a suspect... and win in the first round [of the election]?"

This is an opportunity for Muslims to push against Christianity and move toward Islam becoming the state religion in Indonesia. Currently the country officially recognizes Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Muslims, no doubt, would prefer there be only one religion. 

This case will tell us a lot as to how far down this road Jakarta has come. If police actually file charges, then Islam has a pretty strong grip on this city, and ultimately, the country.

Indonesian Police Use Tear Gas as 1,000s of Muslims Rally Against Christian Governor

As in any country where Islam is dominant and increasingly so, tolerance for Christianity or any other religion becomes inversely proportional. IS is the extreme example where all religions, even other Muslim sects, were slaughtered without hesitation. 

Tolerance for Christianity, and even secularism, will slowly decrease in European countries where Muslims are welcomed in excessive numbers, especially if they cannot be absorbed quickly into western culture.


Members of hardline Muslim groups attend a protest against Jakarta's incumbent governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian running in the upcoming election, in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 4, 2016. © Beawiharta / Reuters

Tens of thousands of hardline Muslim protesters rallying against a non-Muslim governor they accuse of blasphemy marched in Jakarta, where multiple calls for violence and provocations from foreign jihadists resulted in tear gas and scuffles with police.

President Joko Widodo had put 18,000 police and military on alert in anticipation of the violence. The procession started as a peaceful march, but local Metro TV now reports that hardline Muslim protesters have reached the presidential palace, where they ran into police in riot gear. Some protesters threw plastic bottles into the police barricade.

Local TV One showed a fire that had been ignited at the national monument, where there are reports of thick black smoke, according to Reuters. The broadcasters said a vehicle had been overturned, but the cause was unclear.

Companies and businesses have asked their employees to work from home today, as the situation at present remains unpredictable. The Russian embassy also told its staff to stay home and to observe caution.

The latest accusations of blasphemy came after Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known also by his nickname Ahok, referred to a Koranic quote in an argument with political opponents who were urging Muslims not to vote for him. Being a Christian, hardline Muslims believe he has no right to quote their holy book to further his ends.

In other words, it doesn't matter what the Quran says, only who says it? It's what happens when you are caught disobeying the Quran - you shoot the guy who points it out.

Purnama has also faced frequent attacks from Indonesians because of his Christian background, and his remarks prompted major Muslim organizations and Syrian jihadists alike to call for him to step down. Last month, a photograph emerged online from the Syrian-based terrorist group Jabhat Al-Nusra with a banner saying “punish Ahok, or our bullets will.”

All I can say is, it's a good thing Indonesia is a secular country. I would hate to see what it would be like if it was Islamic.

The governor recently struck out at the opposition for citing a Koranic verse that they said warns Muslims against dealing with Christians and Jews, accusing them of “lying,” setting off a chain reaction. His later apologies did nothing to dissuade Indonesia’s leading hardliners, the Islamic Defenders Front, from calling for mass protests and demanding that the Chinese Christian be jailed.

Although it subscribes to a moderate form of Islam, Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and suffers from frequent attacks against its Christian and Buddhist minorities.

While the government of Indonesia is officially secular, it recognizes 6 religions, the largest being Muslim (99% Sunnis) @ 87%, and Christian (Protestant and Catholic) @ 10%.

The minister for political, legal, and security affairs, Wiranto, will meet with the protesters today. On Thursday, President Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla released a statement calling for the rally to be peaceful.

In the meantime, an investigation into Purnama’s blasphemy has been launched by the police. The president, a Muslim, has vowed not to interfere in the probe, Reuters cited the Indonesian Clerical Council as saying.

His 'blasphemy' being that he quoted the Quran!

Ethnically Chinese people make up just one percent of Indonesia’s population of 250 million, so politicians such as Purnama rarely make it into office. In this case, oppositional sentiment against the governor is overwhelming, despite some social media pockets of support.

The country has seen its fair share of protests, but Friday’s was the biggest in quite some time. In extreme cases, people die, as was the case at a Bali nightclub in 2002, when an Islamist bombing claimed 202 lives. The current rise of Islamic State has led authorities to fear further attacks. Earlier in January, IS supporters mounted an attack in Jakarta, with explosions and gunfire heard in several downtown spots, including a mall. A standoff ensued at the Skyline Building, in which four assailants and four civilians were killed, and 23 others were injured.