Indonesian Christian gov jailed for blasphemy against Islam

Basuki Purnama, the first Indonesian Christian governor in decades, has been given a two-year jail sentence for blasphemy.

The North Jakarta district court handed the sentence after finding him guilty of committing the criminal act of blasphemy and inciting violence.

Purnama’s  travails began on September 27, 2016, when he said some citizens would not vote for him because they were being deceived using “Verse 51 of Al Maidah and variations of it”, referring to a verse that some groups have cited as grounds to oppose him.

The provincial government of Jakarta uploaded the video recording to YouTube and pundits criticised his statement, considering it an insult on the Quran.

The video went viral and a petition criticising him gained tens of thousands of signatures.

Several organisations, including the Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam) and a local chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council, reported him to the police, accusing him of blindly violating Indonesia’s law on misuse and insult of religion.

On October 10, he publicly apologised to those he offended, saying that it was not his intention to do so.

He added that during his September 7 speech, the residents were not insulted, and even laughed during his recitation.

Critics are afraid that the jail sentence, which is considered harsher-than-expected, will embolden hardline “Islamist forces” to challenge secularism in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

President Joko Widodo was an ally of Purnama, an ethnic-Chinese Christian who is popularly known as “Ahok”, and the verdict will be a setback for a government that has sought to quell radical groups and soothe investors’ concerns that the country’s secular values were at risk.

Purnama told the court he would appeal.

Charles Santiago, chairman of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), a grouping of regional lawmakers overseeing rights issues, said: “Indonesia was thought to be a regional leader in terms of democracy and openness. This decision places that position in jeopardy and raises concerns about Indonesia’s future as an open, tolerant, diverse society.”

In a tweet, the United Nations’ Bangkok office of the high commissioner for human rights, said: “We are concerned by jail sentence for Jakarta governor for alleged blasphemy against Islam. We call on Indonesia to review blasphemy law.”