Peace Rally Urged Police To Arrest Blasphemer

Jakarta, 4 Shafar 1438/4 November 2016 (MINA) – Hundreds of thousand people took to the streets to hold demonstrations related to the case of alleged blasphemy committed by Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok), Friday. Many members of Islamic organizations and various communities are presenting in the action.

One of them is the Betawi Cultural Ridwan Saidi. Ridwan seemed to be in a crowd of demonstrators in front of the Maritime and Fisheries Ministry in Jalan M.I. Ridwan Rais, Central Jakarta. “We as believers will not going backwards in defending the truth. We demand Ahok to have legal process, he has despised the religion more than one time. Some days ago, he insulted Christians, right now, he did it to Islam,” Ridwan said. Republika reported.

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Ridwan argued what Ahok said is a kind of defamation of the religion so that the police must immediately take legal proceedings to him. “What Ahok said is the crime, he was demeaning religion so he must be suspended,” he said.

Protesters gathered at Masjid Istiqlal than moving toward the presidential palece after Friday prayers at Istiqlal, mass demonstrations marched to the number of places, one of them a City Hall.

While walking, they yell out takbir, and shalawat. They urged law enforcement toward Ahok. There is also the aspirations of the demonstrators who want the practice of values of the Qur’an consistently by the people of Indonesia to promote Islam as a religion of peace.

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Religious organizations are not banned its followers to participate in the demonstration on behalf of a personal, not institutional. The demonstration is the right of every society that guaranteed by the country, as long as it is done safely and orderly. (LP/R03/)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)