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.

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comments</s>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>Some 200,000 white-clad Indonesians took to the streets of Jakarta to call for the arrest of the city’s governor, Basuki Purnama. Mr. Purnama, who is a “double minority” for being ethnically Chinese and a Christian, riled the sentiments of certain hardline sections in September when he said a Koranic verse had been used to trick voters into believing that Muslims ought not be led by a non-Muslim. Since then, Indonesia has been convulsed by protests, including one near the presidential palace in early November that turned violent. The embattled Mr. Purnama has been slapped with blasphemy charges, and an investigation is ongoing. His political proximity to President Joko Widodo does not appear to have slowed the momentum of the protests. Prior to winning the presidency in 2014, Mr. Widodo was the governor of Jakarta, and Mr. Purnama, a frontrunner in the February 2017 governorship election, is on track to forge a pathway to even higher political office. Mr. Widodo has been silent on the motives driving the latest protest, even as he appeared at the scene to praise its relatively peaceful tenor. However, the recent arrest for treason of at least eight people, including Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia’s founding father Sukarno, suggests that other political factors may be at play, including an attempt to whip up public sentiment against Mr. Purnama securing a second term as governor.

Given the Jakarta-centric locus of the protests, it is likely that anger over Mr. Purnama launching large-scale slum evictions in the city has brought many from among the poorer sections to their feet. Yet the fact that the demonstration was orchestrated by the right-wing Islamic Defenders Front Party, which also set up charity operations in the affected North Jakarta neighbourhoods, indicates that support for Islamist ideology from local residents has been a critical factor. This development, if it gains wider momentum across the countryside, could be a retrograde step for Indonesia, which has until now, like neighbouring Malaysia, stood out as a regional bulwark against extremism, maintaining secular tolerance of Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist minorities. Adventurism of this sort could endanger the accommodating fabric of Indonesian society years after the post-Bali bombing purge of fundamentalists. This is especially a matter of concern in the context of suspicion that hundreds of Indonesian youth recently travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State. While Mr. Widodo’s encouraging remarks to the protesters are understandable, the onus is on him to take a stand against allowing the latest turn of events from turning into a launching pad for a more intolerant national ethos.
Thousands of Indonesians protest in Jakarta for tolerance after a large protest rally against blasphemy on Friday.