Indonesian leader urges calm ahead of Jakarta protests

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo called on Muslim scholars Tuesday to help maintain calm as police prepare for a new protest against Jakarta’s governor by opponents who accuse him of insulting the Quran.

Tensions have been mounting as the capital of the world’s most populous Muslim country prepares for next year’s election, with Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama -- an ethnic Chinese Christian commonly known as "Ahok" -- defending himself against allegations leveled by political opponents and hardline groups.

Since Ahok was accused of blasphemy in relation to a speech in September, some groups -- including the Islamic Defenders Front, known for having led violent protests in the past -- have held several rallies against him, with a demonstration planned for Friday.

On Tuesday, President Widodo -- Jakarta’s former governor who appointed Ahok as his successor after winning the 2014 presidential election -- invited around 30 Muslim scholars to discuss recent tensions.

Among the scholars were representatives from the country’s top Muslim clerical body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, and largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which stressed last month that the 2017 gubernatorial election should take place peacefully.

"Peaceful advice, I think, is now urgently needed by the people," Widodo was quoted as saying by detik.com.

He said Islam and Indonesia -- home to a diversity of ethnicities and religions -- should not be considered contradictory but must be maintained in unity.

Robikin Emhas, NU’s chairman of legal affairs, told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday afternoon that its executive board has forbidden members from joining the demonstration, while prohibiting those who choose to participate from claiming to represent the group.

"NU prohibits the use of its attributes, NU's symbols in such action," he said, underlining the body’s stance that alleged blasphemy cases should be resolved through legal mechanisms.

After Ahok -- Jakarta's first Christian ethnic Chinese governor in nearly 50 years -- was accused of blasphemy, Widodo instructed the national police chief to investigate the case and promised not to intervene in the legal process.

The allegations stem from a speech in late September in which Ahok told locals on Thousand Islands: “In your inner hearts, ladies and gentlemen you may feel you cannot vote for me, because [you have been] lied to by [people quoting] Surah al-Maidah, verse 51, etc. […] So, if you cannot vote for me because you are afraid of being condemned to hell you do not need to feel uneasy as you are being fooled. It is alright.”

On Monday, the president met with opposition Gerindra party leader Prabowo Subianto -- a former general who Widodo defeated in the 2014 polls -- and media chiefs as part of government efforts to maintain calm.

In a letter to Widodo, Gerinda’s deputy chairman Fadli Zon insisted that Friday’s rally -- during which 18,000 police are due to be deployed to maintain security -- would be attended by thousands protesting “over an insult to the Quran, rather than for political purposes”.

"They [demonstrators] also ask the President not to intervene and protect Basuki Tjahaja Purnama during the legal process," detik.com reported him as saying.

On Tuesday, Ahok reiterated his apology to Muslims.

"I have said many times, if I am considered to be wrong, I apologize," he was quoted as saying by kompas.com.

Conveying his belief that pious people are forgiving toward those who have wronged, he added, "God forgives any man who has apologized."