Blasphemy trial of Indonesian capital's governor begins

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The minority Christian governor of the Indonesian capital, who is on trial for alleged blasphemy, sobbed in court on Tuesday as he recalled the role of Muslim godparents in his childhood and said he would never intentionally insult Islam.

It was the first day of a trial that has challenged Indonesia's reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam, shaken the government and exposed religious and racial fault-lines in the world's most populous Muslim nation. It was preceded in the past six weeks by massive protests in the capital Jakarta against the governor, with hardliners demanding his arrest.

Gov. Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, an ally of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. He is the first ethnic Chinese governor of Jakarta and the first Christian in more than half a century.

"As a person who grew up in Islamic circles, is not possible for me to insult Islam," Ahok told the court in a hoarse voice.

He broke down in tears twice during his statement in which he talked about the affection of his godparents and remembered how he helped poor Indonesians to perform the Hajj pilgrimage when he was a district chief a decade ago.

The blasphemy controversy erupted in September when a video circulated online in which Ahok lightheartedly said that people were being deceived if they believed his detractors who asserted that the Quran prohibits Muslims having a non-Muslim leader. He is seeking a second term as governor in elections due February.

State Prosecutor Ali Mukartono told the court that Ahok insulted Islam and desecrated the Quran by using one of its verses to fool people and boost his chances of winning the Jakarta election.

Several hundred members of anti- and pro-Ahok groups gathered outside the court but were kept apart by police. The trial is being broadcast live. The proceedings could take two to three months.

A Nov. 4 protest against Ahok in Jakarta people turned violent, with one death and dozens of police and protesters injured. That and another major protest against him on Dec. 2, both organized by hardline Muslim groups, each attracted several hundred thousand people to the streets of the capital.