Tag: Jakarta

Jakarta’s Christian governor reveals repeated sectarian attacks at trial testing Indonesia’s pluralism

April 5, 2017 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Indonesia, Jakarta, Nahdlatul Ulama, Southeast Asia

The Indonesian Christian governor on trial for blasphemy said yesterday (4 April) that he has been the target of racist and religious attacks since he was elected to public office in 2005. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known as “Ahok”), the governor of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, also reiterated to the court . . . Read More

Ahok wins vote, but not enough for re-election

February 16, 2017 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Indonesia, Jakarta

Jakarta’s Christian governor recorded the most votes in the Indonesian capital’s gubernatorial elections yesterday (15 February), but failed to achieve the 50% necessary to secure his re-election. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known as “Ahok”) recorded 43% of the votes, around 3% more than his closest rival, Anies Baswedan. Voters will . . . Read More

‘I’d prefer if my leader is a Muslim’

February 13, 2017 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Indonesia, Islamic Defenders Front, Islamic extremism, Jakarta, Joko Widodo, Sharia

Tens of thousands of Muslims have taken to the streets of Jakarta in recent days in an attempt to persuade Indonesians not to re-elect the capital city’s Christian governor, who stands accused of blasphemy. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known as “Ahok”) is accused of “misusing” a Qur’anic verse (which, some . . . Read More

Indonesian church closed for years told: you can reopen if mosque allowed on your land

February 10, 2017 Indonesia Aceh, Bogor, GKI Yasmin, Indonesia, Jakarta, Java, Joko Widodo, Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama, Sharia

UPDATE (10 Feb, 2017): An Indonesian church closed for years by order of the local mayor has been told it can reopen if a mosque is also allowed on its premises. The GKI Yasmin Church in Bogor, 60km south of Jakarta, had resorted to holding open-air services outside the Presidential . . . Read More

Indonesia religious freedom violation ‘increasing’

January 13, 2017 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Indonesia, Jakarta, Java, Religious freedom

Indonesia has shown a steady increase in violations of religious freedom over the past year, according to the country’s National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM). In 2016, Komnas HAM received 97 reports of violations, compared to 87 in 2015 and 74 in 2014, according to the organisation’s faith freedom . . . Read More

Indonesia: Islamists stop Christmas celebrations

December 14, 2016 Indonesia Ahok, Bandung, Blasphemy, Christmas, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, Islamic extremism, Jakarta, Java

An Indonesian church’s Christmas celebrations were stopped on 6 Dec. by members of a local Islamist group in Bandung, who protested that such services should take place in a church, not a public space. The mayor of Bandung, capital of the West Java province, wrote on his official Instagram account: . . . Read More

Indonesian Christian governor insists ‘no insult intended’ as ‘blasphemy’ trial begins

December 13, 2016 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Islamic extremism, Jakarta, Kalimantan, Sumatra

UPDATE (13 Dec.) Indonesian Christian governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known as “Ahok”), fought back tears during the first day of his blasphemy trial today (13 Dec.). Ahok – only the second Christian and the second governor of Chinese descent to lead the Indonesian capital city, Jakarta – is alleged to have “misused” . . . Read More

Indonesia’s only Christian governor questioned by police amid ‘blasphemy’ furore

November 29, 2016 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Islamic extremism, Jakarta, Kalimantan, Sumatra

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known by his nickname, ‘Ahok’), during a re-election speech in Jakarta on 16 November. He was questioned by police on 22 November after being named a suspect in a blasphemy investigation seen by critics as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia, the world’s most populous . . . Read More

Indonesia: Christian Governor accused of blasphemy

November 7, 2016 Indonesia Ahok, Blasphemy, Indonesia, Islamic Defenders Front, Jakarta, Quran

Thousands of hardline Muslims turned violent during a protest calling for the prosecution of Jakarta’s Christian Governor over comments he made about the Quran, . An estimated 50,000 demonstrated at a largely peaceful rally in the Indonesian capital on 4 November after the Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said that Islamic . . . Read More

Islamists close Indonesian church weeks after it opened

April 12, 2016 Indonesia Bekasi, Bogor, GKI Yasmin, Islamic extremism, Jakarta, Protestants, Santa Clara

In 2010, Bogor’s GKI Yasmin church was sealed and padlocked by order of the mayor and city government. They now hold Sunday services outside the church, and stage monthly services outside Indonesia’s Presidential Palace. To date, they have held 115 such services.World Watch Monitor An Islamist group in Indonesia . . . Read More

Catching Our Eye