(Catholic World News) – Police in Jakarta used tear gas to break up a boisterous rally of over 100,000 Muslims protesting against the governor of the Indonesian capital.
Thousands of Indonesians protest against Jakarta's ethnic Chinese and Christian governor for insulting Quran verse pic.twitter.com/f24G9djfCG
— 真回安然 ☪ (@ismaelan) November 2, 2016
Fear in Jakarta as Muslims prepare for protests against #Christian governor. Click here: https://t.co/q1lV7JXoxn ^DH
— persecution.org (@persecutionnews) November 2, 2016
Video: Muslim Protestors Call for Violence Against a Christian Governor- “Hang, Capture Ahok”
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who became governor of Jakarta in 2014, is the first Christian to hold the post, and is now a candidate for re-election. Some Islamists have objected to his role, saying that Muslims should not be under the authority of a “non-believer.”
The massive rally on November 4 seemed to illustrate the growing strength of militant Islam in Indonesia—which is the country with the world’s largest Muslim population, but also a country with a history of inter-religious cooperation.
Jakarta police calling for protesters to be orderly at tomorrow's big demonstration against Christian, ethnically Chinese governor Ahok https://t.co/jQYPklPDLz
— Ben Bland 白杰明 (@benjaminbland) November 2, 2016
Indo on edge as jihadists urge violence at rally against Ahok, Jakarta's Christian governor – read Anti Chinesehttps://t.co/vhglYp9YBX pic.twitter.com/eL9mZsss1N
— Finnigans 天有道地有道人无道 (@Thefinnigans) November 2, 2016
The demonstration against Purnama was also fueled by his ethnic Chinese background; Chinese have frequently been the objects of resentment in Indonesia.
