Jokowi Draws Fire for Attending Dec. 2 Mass Prayer Rally
Jakarta. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has been criticized for attending a mass prayer that formed part of another protest by hardline Muslim groups against Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in Jakarta on Friday (02/12).
Protestors were demanding the jailing of Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, who was declared a suspect in a blasphemy investigation last month.
The pro-democracy Setara Institute said the president's action has set a bad precedent for religious tolerance and law enforcement in the country.
"Jokowi's presence in the middle of the masses has set a bad precedent for the national life. Jokowi made a compromise with the elites of intolerant groups, which have repeatedly committed acts of violence," Setara Institute executive director Hendardi said in a statement on Friday.
The protest rally, attended by hundreds of thousands of Muslims at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta, saw the unexpected arrival of Jokowi and several of his ministers, who joined in a Friday prayer that concluded the proceedings.
The president briefly addressed the crowd to express his appreciation for the peaceful nature of the rally, led by Rizieq Shihab, leader of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).
Since its founding in the 1990s, the FPI has frequently committed acts of violence, including vigilante raids on entertainment establishments and disrupting minority religious events.
"The masses have become a source of legitimacy to determine the legal process and for making political decisions," Hendardi said.
Friday's protest rally was the third in just over a month.
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