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200,000 Indonesian Muslims Demand Christian Governor Be Jailed

CBN

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Hundreds of thousands of angry Muslims protested in Jakarta, Indonesia Friday, demanding their Christian governor be arrested for alleged blasphemy against Islam.

The protestors were calling to jail Gov. Basuki "Ahok" Purnama over comments he made about the Koran during his campaign.

Ahok is the first ethnic Chinese to be Jakarta governor and the first Christian to do so in half a century.

The blasphemy controversy erupted in September when an Internet video showed Ahok criticizing detractors who argued the Koran prohibits Muslims from having a non-Muslim leader. As a result, Ahok will be facing trial for those blasphemy charges.

President Joko Widodo arrived at Friday's rally to pay tribute to those who attended, while chanting "Allahu akbar" along with the crowd.

Indonesian police estimate about 200,000 people attended the rally.

Meanwhile, the police arrested 10 people at the protest, including prominent citizens, for suspected treason and other crimes and said they were planning to use the mass protest to cause chaos and overthrow the government.

A Nov. 4  protest against Ahok attracted about 100,000 people, which turned violent resulting in one death and dozens of injuries.

 

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