11 May 2017

Indonesia’s Islamist Indulgence - Secular and religious leaders fail to stand up for a Christian politician

Indonesia is a Muslim-majority nation known for religious tolerance, but a blasphemy conviction Tuesday shows the growing power of Islamists and the timidity of opponents. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian and governor of Jakarta until his election defeat last month, was convicted of blasphemy against Islam and sentenced to two years in prison.

Mr. Purnama made an offhand remark in September about clerics who interpret a verse in the Quran to mean that non-Muslim politicians shouldn’t be elected. A... [Wall Street Journal] Read more