The governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, is on trial for blasphemy, accused of insulting the Quran during his re-election campaign. At first glance, the case is political, an attempt to influence the upcoming vote for governor. The case has much deeper implications, however. It is ultimately a test of Indonesia's democracy and its commitment to a tolerant and open form of Islam. Much rides on the outcome of this trial.
Basuki, who is popularly known as Ahok, was lieutenant governor when his boss, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, was elected president of Indonesia. He was elevated to the top slot in November 2014, becoming the first non-Muslim governor of Jakarta in half a century. In addition to being a Christian, Ahok is an ethnic Chinese who comes from a rural district far from Java, where Jakarta is located. In other words, the governor has three ready strikes against him if opponents wish to challenge him on religious or racial grounds.
Unfortunately, Ahok provided religious hardliners with cause when he allegedly insulted the Quran during a campaign speech in September. In fact, he said that religious conservatives — who chaffed under the fact that a non-Muslim governor oversaw Islamic offices as part of his portfolio — had misquoted the Quran in their opposition to him. The video and transcript of those remarks were edited, distorted and then distributed via social media to inflame public sentiment.