world

Jakarta's Christian governor jailed for two years for blasphemy

35 Comments
By Olivia RONDONUWU

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2017 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

35 Comments
Login to comment

I respect an individual's right to their relugion. But any country that has blasphemy as a civil offense is living in the dark ages.

20 ( +21 / -1 )

a result that fuelled fears of Indonesia's moderate brand of Islam coming under threat from increasingly influential radicals.

Well I guess Indonesia's 'moderate Islam' tag is no longer valid then. A shameful decision.

16 ( +16 / -0 )

Indonesia is often held up as a success in the Muslim world.

I suppose it depends on what Indonesia is compared to.

The very idea of blasphemy belongs in the dustbin of history.

16 ( +16 / -0 )

Anything that not in accordance to hypocrite western culture is not necessarily from dark ages

That's true. However, throwing people in jail for 'insulting' an idea does deserve to be called backward.

I heard a nice expression that no idea is above scrutiny and no people are beneath dignity.

This idea deseeves to be scrutinized and humiliated.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

You have to ask yourself what kind of "all powerful/good/great god" needs the "laws of men" to protect it....

Almost like they don't really exist at all....

These type of laws belong in the history book, be wary of anything or anyone who claims they are above question, enquiry, comment and even satire.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

There have been a lot of human sacrifices and struggles to get where we are, enjoying freedom of religion at last. It's sad to find countries that still cannot see its value.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

I was trying to find exactly what was said and done that was so blasphemous.

During the election, his Muslim opponents were saying that the Quran explicitly forbids Muslims from voting for a Christian mayor. They supported this by pointing to Sura 5:51 (also known as Sura Al Maidah). The verse reads:

O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people.

The Christian mayor denied that this meant Muslims could not vote for him. He tried to insist that he Quran was not as divisive and intolerant as it might appear. He characterised his opponents claims and is reported to have said:

Ladies and gentlemen, you can’t vote for me because you’re being lied to by Al Maidah verse 51 and so on".

This is what he was put on trial for. The controversy was whether he was claiming that people were being lied to by his opponents who were misrepresenting the content of Sura 5:51, or whether the verse itself (meaning the Quran and thus Allah) was lying to people. The court now seems to have decided the latter, and this constitutes blasphemy in the Islamic world.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Not surprising why so many educated Chinese-Indonesians are leaving the country.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I was trying to find exactly what was said and done that was so blasphemous.   We all know this is not even about offending, but power.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Stone him

There were hardliners protesting that the death sentence should have been carried out. I don't know if they advocated stoning as the method. I hope their tolerance of other beliefs would lead them towards a more humane method of execution but I'm not 100% sure.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Indonesia, you disgrace yourself. You shame yourself by being so backward.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I was trying to find exactly what was said and done that was so blasphemous.  We all know this is not even about offending, but power

Organised religion is/has always been interested in power. People often say that religion is mobilized for political gain but if you look at Islam in particular, its founder didn't draw clear distinctions between religion and politics in the first place. He was a politician and soldier as well as a spiritual leader. The idea of separating religion and politics isn't that clear. I'm sure many of the devout were truly offended - it doesn't take much.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Extremely disturbing and portends a possible populist shift to hardline Islam as seen in the ME..

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Isn't a blasphemy law just blasphemy in itself? Do people believe that their god is too weak to defend himself?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Indonesia - another one added to my list of countries that I will never travel to.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Thanks for the clarification M3M3M3. That helps to understand the exact nature of the mayor's "crime." Utterly ridiculous that seriously flawed ideas generated by warring tribes thousands of years ago regarding a shared "god" that no one can prove exists can be held up to convict a person of anything. Anywhere. Or that people are willing to not only die but also kill for them.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The issue here isn't with Indonesia but with abrahamic religions that simply can not and do not belong in this day and age. The faster they're eliminated, the faster humanity can discover its true self!!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Fred, here here.

Im no fan of islam but this sort of nonsense isn't limited to muslim majority countries, rather than singling out that particular mess, the answer is simple and less targeted toward a specific group, simply believe as you will, but keep it out of law, politics, medicine and education thanks.

Remember, while a decision, law, policy may suit your views this time if some more fanatical part of what ever dogma you follow takes power you might not be so keen.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Islam does appear to be completely anti-everyone else, and this simply goes to reinforce that thought.

That said, however, Ireland recently introduced a Blasphemy Law, and now someone is trying to Prosecute an English Comedian - Stephen Fry - over some comments me once made regarding God...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

1) Why would the ex-governor of Jakarta even try to insult Islam when he knows all eyes are on him (ethnically Chinese and is a Christian, a natural target in Indonesia). So he most likely didn't do that at all and he's just being framed.

2) Seriously? Blasphemy laws are still a thing? What kind of "moderate Muslim" country is that?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I think most Islamic countries (such as Pakistan) also use Blasphemy to either imprison or execute people.

Once upon a time in the West, Religion and Politics were intertwined, then we came to our senses...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Barbaric.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

gakusee.

Care to explain? All 3 are abrahamic religions and share much of the same scriptures, prophets, roots, etc. They all talk about the one god.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I feel sorry for the guy. But it puts him in the good company of Thomas Aikenhead who was the last person to be executed for blasphemy in Scotland (in 1697 at the age of 20). Below is the indictment against him, but it reads to me more like a tribute than an indictment.

"That ... the prisoner had repeatedly maintained, in conversation, that theology was a rhapsody of ill-invented nonsense, patched up partly of the moral doctrines of philosophers, and partly of poetical fictions and extravagant chimeras: That he ridiculed the holy scriptures, calling the Old Testament Ezra's fables, in profane allusion to Esop's Fables; That he railed on Christ, saying, he had learned magick in Egypt, which enabled him to perform those pranks which were called miracles: That he called the New Testament the history of the imposter Christ; That he said Moses was the better artist and the better politician; and he preferred Muhammad to Christ: That the Holy Scriptures were stuffed with such madness, nonsense, and contradictions, that he admired the stupidity of the world in being so long deluded by them: That he rejected the mystery of the Trinity as unworthy of refutation; and scoffed at the incarnation of Christ."

0 ( +1 / -1 )

[ offended Muslims after he quoted a passage from the Koran during his re-election campaign.] For some there is no way to win.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Quote: "Islamic hardliners outside the Jakarta court cheered and shouted "God is greatest!"

Don't know whose translation that is, but although God and Allah are in fact exactly the same thing, it is legally blasphemy to say such in Malaysia. I suspect they shouted "Allahu Akbar!", ie the Arabic phrase usually translated outside Malaysia as "God is greatest".

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Agreed, in our Modern Civilized states where Politics and Religion are supposed to be separated, then such a Law would be a "joke", and I guess, only the Irish would have implemented it in order to see the funny side of things. But on the other hand, there are Countries that take it a whole lot seriously and will imprison, not just their own but also foreign Nationals for breaking their own Religious laws... Sex outside of Marriage for example between tourist couples visiting their Country.. it's madness.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

gakusee, there is no god but god. There cannot be two. How many life forces are keeping you, your intellect and all of Nature and the Universe alive? The only choice is none, or one.

Unless you are playing with words, such as they are the same 'entity' perhaps, but not the same 'thing'.

Or unless you believe that they are only concepts anyway, and therefore they are separate things.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Since Purnama (oftenly called Ahok) hold his job he make many gangsters and greedy businessman uncomfortable. His sins is: He closed underground prostitution (some prostitute has no id or underage) site near a river and turned into a public park. He closed nearly finished shopping mall (which belong to former Clinton financier backup) because it narrowing the river. He refused to give pork belly money (which is customary for local region politician as token of thank) which angered most local region legislatives (even they try to frame his wife for obstructing judicial which is failed). He banned all kind religious activity in public park (islamic gangster monopolized use public park as show of power to the non muslim oftenly when there's a non muslim religious day they held march or holy Quran reading festival yes, they used Quran and islam as a shield). He clashed with a local gangster (who is a member local region legislative and also a member of an islamic political party) for banning street hawker whom oftenly jamming traffic road. He clashed with head of his political party over new law president elected by legislature (the law failed legislate) which mean betrayal for him (he is a former military general) and since then the chief hold a grudge. In conclusion he deserve jail in the country where gangsters rule.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Stone him, as long as there are no women wearing beards in the crowd, damn Christian convicted by damn Muslin courts. Where are the Buddhists?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

That said, however, Ireland recently introduced a Blasphemy Law

To be fair, they basically modified a previous law so that it applied not just to Christianity. (I just read that the Irish police have dropped their investigation against Stephen Fry. I'm not sure if that is good news or not. There is some thought that the person who brought the complaint did it to show up the ridiculous nature of the law. Now it will be forgotten about until the next case comes up.)

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The Judeo-Christian God (Yaweh) and allah are NOT the same thing.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@Northernlife, @goldorak ... show me 21st century? which country is modern according to you. Some people think that they alone are smarter than the judiciary of a country.

Anything that not in accordance to hypocrite western culture is not necessarily from dark ages.

-25 ( +1 / -26 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites