Muslim Indonesians tweet support for beleaguered Christian politician Ahok
Indonesians are furiously debating charges of blasphemy against Jakarta governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as "Ahok."
The Christian governor, who's also minority Ethnic Chinese, is being accused of insulting the Koran, after a September speech where he reportedly said Islamic campaigners were wrongly quoting a Koranic verse to discourage voters from supporting him.
He apologised later, but that didn't stop 100,000 incensed protesters from taking to the streets this month in a demonstration that turned violent. One person died and seven were injured in clashes with the police, Jakarta authorities said.
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On Wednesday, as Indonesian police said they were beginning to investigate charges against him, the hashtags #KamiAhok (We are with Ahok) and #PenjarakanAhok (Convict Ahok) started trending online.
Many of his supporters are Muslim.
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@adriansyah_ar says: "I am Muslim and I support (Ahok) because we need a leader not a prophet of the mosque! #KamiAhok"
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@boeDhyHs says: "I am Muslim I support Ahok.. Carry on, for the sake of change in Jakarta... #KamiAhok"
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On the other end of the spectrum, many of Ahok's critics are pushing for jail time for the governor.
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@FarizJhatisunda says: "Save the Homeland of the blasphemer who divided the nation #PenjarakanAhok"
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Ahok was sworn in in Jakarta in 2014, becoming its first Christian governor in almost 50 years, and its first ethnic Chinese governor ever.
The vast majority of Indonesians are Muslim, although five other religions, including Christianity, are officially recognised by the government.
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Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
