May 11, 2017: M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D. discusses blasphemy charges agains Basuki Tjahaja Purnama in this Borderless article
U.S. Muslim reformer blasts Indonesia for jailing Christian governor on trumped-up blasphemy charge
Indonesia earlier this week threw a Christian outgoing governor in the slammer for “blasphemy.”
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, was convicted earlier this week of the “crime” of saying the Koran allows non-Muslims to rule over Muslims.
The comment was followed by months of protests by radicals — some demonstrations saw hundreds of thousands of people — calling for Ahok to be punished.
Experts said Ahok committed no crime, and that his conviction amounted to the government caving to the demands of radical Islamist riff-raff.
Many Indonesians are wondering whether this is just the beginning, and whether radical Islamists will grow even more powerful, at a time when radical Islamist ideology is spreading throughout Southeast Asia.
Across the ocean in the United States, moderate Muslims are concerned.
Zuhdi Jasser, an American Mulism reformist and president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, told Borderless News Online that Indonesia is plagued by the worsening threat of radical Islam.
Press Release: Sentencing is a stark reminder of the global Islamist threat.
PRESS RELEASE
American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Contact: Mischel Yosick
480 225 7473 mischel@zliberty.com
May 10, 2017
Sentencing of Indonesian Christian Governor of Jakarta on blasphemy charge is a reminder of the rising global Islamist threat.
The American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) condemned the sentencing of an Indonesian Christian politician, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, for “blasphemy.” The sentencing of Mr. Basuki, the Jakarta governor, also known as “Ahok” was heavier than what prosecutors asked for – rather than the two years probation they requested, he was sentenced to two years in prison.
M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D., founder and president of AIFD, released the following statement:
“The fact that Mr. Basuki was even brought up on charges of ‘blasphemy’ – a truly invented ‘crime’ – is horrifying. The reality of his sentencing should alarm all people, not just Christians, and not just Indonesians.
Indonesia has long enjoyed the reputation of being a model of Muslim moderation and pluralism, yet its problem of Islamism is real: from soaring rates of female genital mutilation (FGM) to violent protests against authors and artists for ‘blasphemy,’ the country is undergoing an ugly and dangerous radicalization that will hurt, kill, and traumatize its citizens and leak across its borders, threatening global security. Mr. Basuki was a governor whose election had only improved Indonesia’s global reputation. His sentencing proves that those who are loyal to Islamist forces no longer care about upholding this image for Indonesia, instead they seek a more sinister role in the world.
Ahok’s case again proves that the nation is on the front lines of this global existential battle against Islamism.
We urge Indonesian citizens to challenge their religious establishments – particularly the Nahdlatul Ulama – to take swift and bold action to condemn and dis-empower those who support and promote punishments for blasphemy, and to demand that their government do the same. I visited Indonesia during my time on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom, and know that this evil does not represent them. Their government must do better to protect and represent the will of its people.”
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M. Zuhdi Jasser, M.D. is a guest on Arizona Originals with Jason Issak
Dr. Zuhdi Jasser – American Islamic Forum for Democracy and Physician
Today’s guest, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, has served as a US Navy physician, was hand selected to serve for two years as one of three attending physicians for the US Congress (including the US Supreme Court Justices), and has practiced medicine in Arizona.
Click here to listen to the podcast.