Indonesia police pursue blasphemy case against capital's Christian governor

The Christian and ethnic Chinese governor of Jakarta, the capital of the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, has been named a suspect in a case of alleged blasphemy, Indonesian police announced on Wednesday.

The decision to officially name Basuki Tjahaja Purnama a suspect comes amid simmering religious and ethnic tension and is likely to stoke concerns over rising hardline Islamic sentiment in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.

“Police have decided to declare Basuki Tjahaja Purnama a suspect and bar him from travelling abroad,” national police chief detective Ari Dono Sukmanto said on Wednesday morning.

“After long discussions, we reached a decision that the case should be tried in an open court,” he added.

Some analysts reportedly said the decision was a blow to Indonesia's young democracy.

"It sets a bad precedent for minorities as the legal process can be dictated by public pressure," Irine Gayatri, political analyst at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, said.

Indonesia recognises six religions and is home to several minority groups that adhere to traditional beliefs.

If found guilty under Indonesia’s 1965 blasphemy law Purnama will face a maximum of five years in jail.

The blasphemy allegations centre on a speech Purnama made in September in which he cited the Al Maidah 51 verse from the Qur’an. He said the verse had been used to deceive voters and justify the assertion that Muslims should not be led by non-Muslims.

The governor has denied blasphemy but later apologised, saying it was not his intention to cause any offence.

However, the Guardian reported that an edited version of those comments was subsequently circulated online, changed in a way to make the governor’s comments appear more offensive, angering hardliners further.

More than 100,000 Muslims marched against him this month, urging voters not to re-elect him in February.

"I accept the status of suspect and believe in the professionalism of the police," Purnama told reporters after the decision.

"This is not just a case about me but about determining the direction this country is going in."