JAKARTA (Reuters) - A tearful governor of Jakarta denied on Tuesday he had intended to insult the Koran at the start of his blasphemy trial in the Indonesian capital, which is seen as a test of religious freedom in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as "Ahok", sits on the defendant's chair at the start of his trial hearing at North Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. REUTERS/Tatan Syuflana/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Around 100 Muslim protesters calling for the jailing of Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama chanted “God is great” outside the court, while supporters of the ethnic Chinese Christian sang the national anthem.

A cordon of police stood guard outside the court after Muslims, led by hardliners, took to the streets in December and November, to call for Purnama’s arrest and to urge voters not to re-elect him in February.

The rallies, with over 150,000 participants each, were the biggest Jakarta has seen in nearly two decades.

Purnama told the court he had not intended any insult during a trip to islands off Jakarta when he commented on opponents use of the Koran in political campaigning.

“It is clear what I said in the Thousand Islands was not intended to interpret the (Koran), let alone to insult Islam or the ulema,” said Purnama, who was responding after the prosecutor read out the charges.

The governor said that his comments were targeted at rival politicians trying to get an unfair advantage in the election by saying that voters should not support a non-Muslim.

Purnama, who is running for re-election against two Muslim candidates, described a loving relationship with his adoptive Muslim parents on the remote Bangka island.

“I am very saddened that I have been accused of insulting Islam because this accusation is the same as saying that I am insulting my adoptive parents and siblings.”

During the hearing, Purnama sounded typically defiant at times. Quoting from his book “Hiding behind holy verses”, he said many in the country’s political elite were “cowards” who sought to divide Indonesians to gain power.

Purnama, if found guilty, faces up to five years in prison. Almost all blasphemy cases in recent years have ended in conviction.

RELIGIOUS MINORITIES

Supporters of the governor, whose nickname is Ahok, were also outside the trial, which was aired live on television.

“He is absolutely suited to be governor,” said Charles Simanjuntak, 46, who praised the development of the city under Purnama and said he did not believe the governor had committed blasphemy.

Among the protesters opposed to the governor, one group held a placard reading “Jailing Ahok = fair government”

President Joko Widodo, seen as an ally to Purnama, has blamed “political actors” for fuelling the protests, but declined to elaborate. Widodo has faced widespread criticism for not doing enough to protect the country’s religious minorities.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, but the country of 250 million also has sizeable Christian, Hindu and Buddhist communities and dozens of groups that adhere to traditional beliefs.

As governor, Purnama won kudos for shaking up the city’s sleepy bureaucracy and for taking steps to ease Jakarta’s notorious traffic. But his abrasive language and insistence on clearing the city’s slums has alienated many voters.

Recent opinion polls showed Purnama, once the frontrunner in the race to lead Jakarta, has now slipped to second place, behind Agus Yudhoyono, the son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

At the end of the first day of the trial Purnama appeared to be whisked away from the court in an armoured police truck. The trial will resume on Dec. 20.</s>Read the Indonesian version here

On Monday, the governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, attended a celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday at a mosque in the Indonesian capital. An Indonesian of Chinese ethnicity, and a Christian, he joined devotees singing a religious song along with Muslim celebrants on stage.

He asked the audience to pray for him because the following day he was due in court, charged with blaspheming Islam. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your prayers,” he said.

The governor, widely known as Ahok, needs all the goodwill he can get. He is the highest-ranking Indonesian official to have ever been charged with insulting a religion in Indonesia. Many already fear that the trial will end in guilty verdict.

Ahok, whose appointment to the Indonesian capital’s top job was opposed by hard-line Muslims, was accused of insulting Islam in a campaign speech on Sept. 27. In the address, he said that religious conservatives who cited a Quranic verse in support of their position that Christians should not hold high office were being duplicitous. He told a crowd: “Ladies and gentlemen, you don’t have to vote for me — because you’ve been lied to by those using [the Quran’s] Surah al-Maidah verse 51.” (An edited transcript and video of his speech that twisted his statement went viral and helped fan public anger.)

Read: Jakarta’s Governor Was Questioned for Hours by Police as Part of a Blasphemy Probe

In the past two months, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and other hard-line Muslim groups led three massive protests that paralyzed downtown Jakarta, demanding the governor be jailed and the ouster of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, whose party endorsed Ahok’s candidacy in the gubernatorial election. Jokowi attended prayers with the demonstrators on Dec. 2 — a move that helped defuse the political tension directed toward him but risked giving legitimacy to the anti-Ahok and anti-Chinese sentiments. “The Politics of Mobocracy,” read the cover of news magazine Tempo English magazine last week, over an image of the rally.

Although moderate Muslim leaders and scholars have maintained Ahok’s innocence, public opinion has started to turn against the once popular governor. In a survey released last week, 45% of respondents said Ahok had insulted Islam, though 88.5% said they didn’t know exactly what he said. “If they didn’t exactly know about Ahok’s statement, then they agreed there was a religious blasphemy or not, what was it based on?” was the question posed by pollster Saiful Muljani in local media.

Ahok’s trial is not the only religiously motivated legal challenge that is ongoing at Indonesia’s courts. This year, an Islamic pro-family group that calls itself the Family Love Alliance — it is also known by its Indonesian initials AILA — filed a judicial review to the Constitutional Court to criminalize gay sex and nonmarital sex. There are fears that, if it succeeds, it will open the path for more legal persecution of other minority groups.

These two recent cases signal not only the growing intolerance toward ethnic, religious and sexual minorities in Indonesia — but also the tug of war between Islamist and secular forces in the country that has been going on for decades.

Indonesia — which has the world’s biggest Muslim population, is a secular country with a separation between state and church, where minority groups are supposed to be treated equal before the law. The secular principle started when the founding fathers agreed to drop the inclusion of Shari‘a in the nation’s constitution — allegedly to accommodate the wishes of religious minorities, especially those in the eastern part of the sprawling, culturally diverse archipelago.

However, the fear now is that Indonesia’s democracy is being hijacked by hard-line and ultraconservative groups. There are both jihadists, who dream of establishing an Islamic state in the country through violent means, and groups who seek to push an Islamist agenda through political and social channels.

As a result, the aims of the constitution are being perverted. According to Indonesia’s criminal code, for example, homosexuality isn’t illegal. But at the Constitutional Court, a so-called expert witness for AILA argued that universal human rights weren’t applicable in Indonesia because the country was built on religious norms.

Hundreds of thousands of Indonesian Muslims in Jakarta on Dec. 2, 2016, hold a peaceful protest against the Jakarta governor who is accused of insulting Islam. The protesters demand the acceleration of legal proceedings against Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama Anadolu Agency—Getty Images

Meanwhile, in a sermon in front of President Jokowi and Cabinet ministers during the Dec. 2 rally, FPI leader Habib Rizieq Shihab said that “God’s law is above everything, that holy verses are above the constitution’s.”

Jokowi recently announced that he would set up a task force to tackle the issue of intolerance. “Apart from Muslims, Indonesia is also home to Christians, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists and Confucians,” Jokowi said earlier in the Bali Democracy Forum last week. “The peace values are upheld by all religious adherents in Indonesia.”

However, as a politician he has also sought help from religious leaders and has left hard-line groups like the FPI alone. Now, while maintaining a ostensibly neutral stance, Jokowi has effectively thrown Ahok under the bus, saying flatly: “I will not protect brother Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.”

The Ahok trial — like the LGBT judicial review at the Constitutional Court — is a litmus test of Indonesia’s commitment to its principle as a secular, inclusive and tolerant country. So far, it is failing that test.

Contact us at editors@time.com.</s>JAKARTA -- Jakarta's Christian governor choked back tears as he gave an impassioned defense against blasphemy charges on Tuesday, in a court case that has stoked fears of growing intolerance in the Muslim-majority nation.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama — the first Christian to govern the capital in more than 50 years — is standing trial accused of insulting the Koran, an offence that carries a five-year jail term.

The governor has apologized for his controversial remarks, which angered Muslims across Indonesia and drew hundreds of thousands to the streets of Jakarta in protests larger than any seen in nearly two decades.

Facing court for the first time, the governor gave an emotionally charged defense against the charges, pausing several times to compose himself as he maintained his innocence.

"I know I have to respect the holy verses of the Koran. I do not understand how I can be said to have offended Islam," Purnama said, occasionally dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief.

Purnama, better known by his nickname Ahok, ignited a firestorm of criticism in September when he quoted the Islamic holy text while campaigning ahead of elections for the Jakarta governorship.

The governor accused his opponents of using a Koranic verse, which suggests Muslims should not choose non-Muslims as leaders, in order to trick people into voting against him.

Prosecutor Ali Mukartono said the governor had "spoken a lie" and insulted Muslims, adding Indonesia's top clerical council had declared his remarks blasphemous.

But lawyers for the governor said their client never intended to commit blasphemy, and expressed concern that Purnama's case was being rushed.

President Joko Widodo and police, under pressure as protesters massed in November, promised to resolve the case quickly.</s>JAKARTA: Jakarta’s Christian governor will stand trial on Tuesday accused of blasphemy in a high-profile case that has emboldened hardline groups and stoked fears of growing intolerance in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama — the first Christian to govern Jakarta in more than 50 years — will defend allegations that he insulted the Koran and fight calls for his imprisonment under Indonesia’s tough blasphemy laws.

Purnama, known for his outspoken style, outraged Muslims when he controversially quoted a passage from the Islamic holy text while campaigning in elections for the Jakarta governorship.

His remarks ignited a protest movement by hardliners, who have long railed against a non-Muslim in city hall but failed to dent the governor’s popularity.

But their rallying cry to defend Islam and punish “the blasphemer” attracted unprecedented support from Muslims both moderate and conservative, who marched against the governor in numbers not seen in many years.

The case is being viewed in part as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia, where a spike in attacks on minorities has eroded a reputation for diversity and inclusiveness.

“If he’s found guilty, this could be the biggest setback for pluralism in Indonesia’s history,” said Tobias Basuki from the Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Race a factor

 Purnama fell foul of Indonesia’s archaic blasphemy laws when he insinuated that his opponents had used a Koranic verse to trick people into voting against him.

An edited version of his speech went viral online, sparking outrage far beyond Jakarta, where Purnama has ruled since his predecessor Joko Widodo became president in late 2014.

The governor apologized but Indonesia’s highest clerical body, and a slew of radical groups, declared the remarks blasphemous and urged authorities to bring charges.

Critics want the country’s blasphemy laws overhauled. The legislation was rarely used during the 32-year rule of strongman Suharto, but in recent years it has been exploited to persecute minorities, rights groups say.

Purnama is not only Christian but ethnic Chinese, a community long mistrusted in Indonesia, and his race made pinning him for blasphemy easier, political expert Syamsudin Haris told Agence France-Presse.

“Ahok’s ‘Chinese-ness’ is a factor,” he added, using the governor’s popular nickname.

Religious freedom is protected by law in Indonesia but moralizing thugs often enforce their own rules, preventing Islamic minorities like Shias and Ahmadis from worshipping and opposing the construction of churches.

The most prominent of these groups, the Islamic Defenders Front, has used the blasphemy scandal to burnish its credentials, staging high-profile events alongside political leaders including President Joko Widodo.

“A group that used to hound the public and the government has now been legitimized, and even accommodated, by the government,” said Hendardi, the chairman of the rights group Setara Institute, who goes by one name.

‘Trial by mob’

 Widodo — like presidents before him — has been accused of ignoring the rising influence of intolerant hardline groups, which have flourished in the nearly two decades of democracy since Suharto’s downfall.

The president “did not have the courage” to stand up to these firebrand Muslims, Haris said, fearing a backlash from the electorate, around 90 percent of which follows Islam.

The populist backlash against Purnama — an ally of Widodo — backed the president even further into a corner.

His efforts at playing peacemaker ahead of a huge rally in November failed, with mobs burning police cars and clashing with riot officers outside the presidential palace.

Widodo was forced to cancel a long-planned visit to Australia to confront the crisis, sparking rumors of a coup. Later, arrests were made over an alleged plot to topple the government.

“The case shows that the government has an enormous task to address political Islam,” Basuki said.

Critics say the controversy is as much about politics as the governor’s foes whip up anger to reduce his support ahead of the hotly-contested February poll.

Purnama was on track to win in February but has been watching his lead crumble as his two opponents — both politically-connected Muslims — have gained ground.

Purnama has refused to bow out of the race, but risks haemorrhaging more support if the blasphemy scandal drags on, Djayadi Hanan from pollster SMRC told AFP.

The trial – which Widodo and the police have vowed to resolved quickly — will have long-lasting ramifications, analysts say, especially if Purnama is sentenced to five years prison as allowed by law.

“The government can’t let this become a trial by mob, because it will set a terrible precedent for our democracy,” said Hendardi.</s>JAKARTA: Hardline Muslims rallied Tuesday under heavy police guard outside an Indonesian courthouse where Jakarta’s Christian governor is standing trial in a high-profile blasphemy case that has gripped national attention.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama — the first Christian to govern the capital in more than 50 years — arrived at court flanked by lawyers and police for the first day of his trial on charges of insulting the Koran.

The governor bowed to the panel of five judges before being seated alone in the centre of the courtroom as proceedings began.

Purnama, better known by his nickname Ahok, could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty of breaking Indonesia’s tough blasphemy laws.

He ignited a firestorm of criticism in September when he controversially quoted a Koranic verse while campaigning in elections for the Jakarta governorship.

Purnama apologised but his remarks angered Muslims — both moderate and conservative — who marched against the governor in rallies larger than any seen in Indonesia in many years.

Outside the courthouse, dozens of hardline Islamists chanted “God is Great” and waved signs depicting Purnama behind bars in prison garb.

“The Koran is our guide. Jail Ahok right away!” they yelled, pumping their fists in the air.

Police guarded the courthouse in heavy numbers, vowing to ensure there was no repeat of the violence seen at some protests against the governor.

The blasphemy saga has generated huge interest across Indonesia, with the proceedings being broadcast live on national television.

Indonesia is home to 255 million people, roughly 90 percent of whom follow Islam.

President Joko Widodo has been criticised for failing to prevent attacks on minorities which have eroded Indonesia’s reputation for tolerance and diversity.

Purnama, known for his outspoken style, is trying to retain city hall in elections slated for February.

He was on track to win but has been watching his lead crumble as the blasphemy scandal has dragged on.

His two opponents are both Muslims with strong political connections. AFP</s>Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as "Ahok", sits on the defendant's chair at the start of his trial hearing at North Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: Reuters

The blasphemy trial of the Indonesian capital’s minority Christian governor began on Tuesday after massive protests led by hard-line Muslim groups seeking his arrest.

Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, an ally of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, faces up to five years in prison if found guilty.

The blasphemy controversy erupted in September when a video circulated online in which Mr. Ahok said people were being deceived if they believed his detractors who asserted that the Quran prohibits Muslims having a non-Muslim leader. He is seeking a second term as governor in elections due February.

A November 4 protest in Jakarta against Mr. Ahok turned violent, with one death and dozens injured.</s>Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as "Ahok", center, sits on the defendant's chair at the start of his trial hearing at North Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. Ahok is on trial on accusation of blasphemy following his remark about a passage in the Quran that could be interpreted as prohibiting Muslims from accepting non-Muslims as leaders. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, Pool)

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The minority Christian governor of Indonesia's capital sobbed in court Tuesday on the first day of his blasphemy trial as he recalled the role of Muslim godparents in his childhood and said he would never intentionally insult Islam.

The national upheaval over the governor's alleged blasphemy has challenged Indonesia's reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam, shaken the government and exposed religious and racial fault lines in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Protests against Gov. Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, led by hard-liners and which drew hundreds of thousands of people, have kept Jakarta, the capital, on edge in the past six weeks. A Nov. 4 protest there turned violent, with one death and dozens of police and protesters injured.

Ahok, an ally of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. He is the first ethnic Chinese governor of Jakarta and the first Christian in more than half a century.

"As a person who grew up among Muslims, it is not possible for me to intentionally insult Islam because that is the same as disrespecting the people I appreciate and love," Ahok said.

He broke down in tears twice while making his statement, in which he talked about the affection of his godparents and remembered how he helped poor Indonesians perform the Hajj pilgrimage when he was a district chief a decade ago.

The blasphemy controversy erupted in September when a video circulated online in which Ahok lightheartedly said that people were being deceived if they believed his detractors who asserted that the Quran prohibits Muslims from having a non-Muslim leader. He is seeking a second term as governor in elections due in February.

State Prosecutor Ali Mukartono told the court that Ahok insulted Islam and desecrated the Quran by using one of its verses to fool people and boost his chances of winning the Jakarta election.

In his statement, Ahok said that his comments were not an interpretation of the Quran and that he was only referring to certain politicians "who exploited the verses incorrectly because they do not want to compete fairly in the election competition."

Several hundred members of anti- and pro-Ahok groups gathered outside the court, but were kept apart by police. The trial, which is being broadcast live, could take two to three months.

Ahok's lawyers asked the five-judge panel to throw the case out and the trial was then adjourned until Dec. 20.

Police investigators and religious experts were divided about whether Ahok should be prosecuted, but the case proceeded as political pressure on the government mounted.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The minority Christian governor of the Indonesian capital, who is on trial for alleged blasphemy, sobbed in court on Tuesday as he recalled the role of Muslim godparents in his childhood and said he would never intentionally insult Islam.

It was the first day of a trial that has challenged Indonesia’s reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam, shaken the government and exposed religious and racial fault-lines in the world’s most populous Muslim nation. It was preceded in the past six weeks by massive protests in the capital Jakarta against the governor, with hardliners demanding his arrest.

Gov. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, an ally of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. He is the first ethnic Chinese governor of Jakarta and the first Christian in more than half a century.

“As a person who grew up in Islamic circles, is not possible for me to insult Islam,” Ahok told the court in a hoarse voice.

He broke down in tears twice during his statement in which he talked about the affection of his godparents and remembered how he helped poor Indonesians to perform the Hajj pilgrimage when he was a district chief a decade ago.

The blasphemy controversy erupted in September when a video circulated online in which Ahok lightheartedly said that people were being deceived if they believed his detractors who asserted that the Quran prohibits Muslims having a non-Muslim leader. He is seeking a second term as governor in elections due February.

State Prosecutor Ali Mukartono told the court that Ahok insulted Islam and desecrated the Quran by using one of its verses to fool people and boost his chances of winning the Jakarta election.

Several hundred members of anti- and pro-Ahok groups gathered outside the court but were kept apart by police. The trial is being broadcast live. The proceedings could take two to three months.

A Nov. 4 protest against Ahok in Jakarta people turned violent, with one death and dozens of police and protesters injured. That and another major protest against him on Dec. 2, both organized by hardline Muslim groups, each attracted several hundred thousand people to the streets of the capital.
Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) pleads not guilty to charges of blaspheming Islam during a September 27 campaign speech. Ahok is an ethnic Chinese Christian.