JAKARTA, Indonesia — Tens of thousands of Indonesians rallied in the of the capital Jakarta on Sunday, calling for tolerance and unity after massive protests by conservative Muslims against the city's minority Christian governor.

The crowds filled a major traffic circle in the heart of the city and sprawled into its main thoroughfares.

The demonstrators waved "We Are Indonesia" signs and a giant red-and-white national flag was held aloft by hundreds of people.

The capital of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been rocked in the past month by two major protests against Gov. Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who is being prosecuted for alleged blasphemy. Hardline Muslim groups are demanding his immediate arrest. Police say his detention is not necessary and have called for the respect of the legal process.

A demonstration against Ahok on Friday drew at least 200,000 people. An anti-Ahok protest on Nov. 4 attracted at least 100,000 people and turned violent, with one dead and dozens of protesters and police injured.

Sunday's rally coincided with a weekly car-free morning in Jakarta when a central artery of the city is handed over to pedestrians for a few hours.

Organizers called it the "Parade of Indonesian Culture" and it featured traditional dances from Sabang in westernmost Aceh to Merauke in easternmost Papua.

National leaders of political parties under the pro-government coalition behind President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, an ally of Ahok, delivered short speeches on the importance of keeping the ethnically diverse nation united.

"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, said from the main stage.

"Our main enemies are stupidity and poverty. Therefore we ask the current government to work harder and always consistently with the people's aspirations," Paloh said.

Blasphemy is a criminal in Indonesia and punishable by up to five years in prison. </s> Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) Hundreds of thousands of Indonesians took to the streets Friday to protest Jakarta's embattled governor.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, has faced demonstrations calling for his ouster amid allegations of blasphemy.

An ethnic Chinese Christian, Ahok is currently under investigation by Indonesian police over a speech he gave in which hardline Islamists claim he insulted the Quran.

Police estimate around 200,000 people converged on Jakarta's main square Friday for noon prayers.

Islamist groups, NGOs, students and ordinary citizens came from Jakarta and other cities and towns outside the capital.

Protesters chanted "jail Ahok," and called for him to be detained while the blasphemy case is ongoing.

"It's not about ethnicity or religion," a protester called Agus told CNN. "It's only this one person who needs to be brought to trial."

"It's a matter of what he has done," he said.

Supporters of Ahok gathered Friday outside his headquarters to pray for him, according to a statement from the campaign team.

The accusations of blasphemy surround Ahok's quoting of a Quranic verse in a stump speech.

He is currently standing for re-election as governor, and has faced attacks on his Christian faith, with some opponents claiming that Muslims were forbidden by the Quran to vote for him.

In a speech last month, Ahok quoted a verse from the Muslim holy book and said that people had been "lied to" by those saying they would go to hell for voting for him. There was widespread outrage after an edited video of his speech went viral.

Speaking at Friday's protests, Suci, a volunteer at an Islamic NGO, said that if a Muslim is standing for election "we have to choose (the) Muslim."

Noor Huda Ismail, founder of the Institute for International Peace Building in Indonesia, told CNN last month that Ahok, a key ally of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, is an easy target for the enemies of the President, who's popularly known as Jokowi.

"He's a stepping stone (to Jokowi). You see people no longer talking about the blasphemy case but about wanting to topple the government," Ismail said. </s> In April, prosecutors called for the blasphemy counts to be dropped in exchange for a lesser charge of "spreading hate," but the judges appear to have ignored that recommendation.

The controversial Chinese Christian politician was put on trial in December over accusations that he insulted Islam while campaigning to retain his role. The Jakarta governor denied the charges.

Almost no one who has been charged under the blasphemy law has ever escaped conviction, associate professor of Indonesian politics at the Australian National University Greg Fealy told CNN.

"The blasphemy law has really been a blight on the rule of law and democracy in Indonesia for decades," he said, adding that "the fact that Ahok was charged at all was really a product of massive street demonstrations that frightened the government into acting."

In November, Ahok quoted a verse from the Quran to prove to his supporters that there were no restrictions on Muslims voting for a non-Muslim politician. Since an edited video of his remarks was released, hundreds of thousands of Muslim Indonesians protested against him on the streets of Jakarta, with many calling for his jailing Muslim protesters marched on Jakarta's governor's office on Friday, November 4. Tens of thousands of Muslims descended upon the Indonesian capital demanding Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama -- commonly known as Ahok -- be prosecuted on accusations that he committed blasphemy. An estimated 200,000 people converged on the center of the Indonesian capital to demand the arrest of its minority-Christian governor on November 4. Muslim leaders broadcast their message as they march past Jakarta's governor's office on November 4. Indonesian riot police were on standby in the compound of the governor's office on November 4. Protesters sat atop a speaker system during the demonstration on November 4. Indonesian policewomen stood guard during the protest outside Jakarta's City Hall on November 4. Female Muslim protesters marched outside the governor's office on November 4. The march continued toward the presidential palace on November 4. Roads near the Agriculture Ministry where the verdict was due to be delivered were closed from Monday evening in preparation, local media reported. The verdict comes less than a month after Ahok lost his bid for re-election as Jakarta governor , a result some experts attributed to his ongoing trial. As well as being a minority ethnic Chinese Indonesian, the outgoing governor is also a Christian. He was defeated by former Indonesian education and culture minister Anies Baswedan, a Muslim, after a campaign riven by religious tensions. On the day of the election, the Jakarta Post editorial board described the campaign as the "dirtiest, most polarizing and divisive" ever seen in Indonesia. Fealy said Ahok's conviction was a blow for religious tolerance in Indonesia. "We must acknowledge that Ahok was always a special case ... (but) if you were a non-Muslim and you were considering a career in public life, you're probably more likely to think twice about that," he said. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Tens of thousands of Indonesians rallied in the center of the capital Jakarta on Sunday, calling for tolerance and unity after massive protests by conservative Muslims against the city’s minority Christian governor.

The crowds filled a major traffic circle in the heart of the city and sprawled into its main thoroughfares.

The demonstrators waved “We Are Indonesia” signs and a giant red-and-white national flag was held aloft by hundreds of people.

The capital of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has been rocked in the past month by two major protests against Gov. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who is being prosecuted for alleged blasphemy. The movement against Ahok, who is the first ethnic Chinese to be governor of Jakarta and the first Christian in half a century, has raised communal tensions and challenged Indonesia’s reputation for practicing a moderate brand of Islam.

A demonstration against Ahok on Friday drew at least 200,000 people. An anti-Ahok protest on Nov. 4 attracted at least 100,000 people and turned violent, with one dead and dozens of protesters and police injured.

Hard-line Muslim groups are demanding Ahok’s immediate arrest. Police say his detention is not necessary and have called for the legal process to be respected.

Sunday’s rally coincided with a weekly car-free morning in Jakarta when a central artery of the city is handed over to pedestrians for a few hours.

Police estimated 30,000 people turned up, said Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono.

Organizers called it the “Parade of Indonesian Culture” and it featured traditional dances from Sabang in westernmost Aceh to Merauke in easternmost Papua.

National leaders of political parties under the pro-government coalition behind President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, an ally of Ahok, delivered short speeches on the importance of keeping the ethnically diverse nation united.

“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, said from the main stage.

“Our main enemies are stupidity and poverty. Therefore we ask the current government to work harder and always consistently with the people’s aspirations,” Paloh said.

Blasphemy is a criminal offense in Indonesia and punishable by up to five years in prison.

Comments

WTOP is now using Facebook as our comment platform. Need help? Email us

comments
Thousands of Indonesians protest in Jakarta for tolerance after a large protest rally against blasphemy on Friday.