Jakarta's Christian Governor to Face Blasphemy Trial over Islam Insult Claim.

The government ceded to the demands of religious fanatics, stirred up over decades by Salafi Arabia, who are using him as an opportunity to deny equal rights to all the non-Muslims in Indonesia.

The right to criticize a religion is an essential part of human rights. It appears that Ahok did not really do that; I think he would not have won the election if he really had criticized the religion of most of the voters in his region. But someone's innocence or guilt under a manifestly unjust law is a distraction from the guilt of the law itself.

The idea that no one but a Muslim should be a leader over Muslims is in itself an example of the bigotry that often embodies Islam. We are obligated to respect people's right maintain such a view, but the view itself deserves only condemnation.