M

inority groups in the capital have expressed their disappointment over allegations Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama insulted the Quran, saying the governor should be wiser in choosing his words.

Ahok is in the spotlight amid a planned rally by thousands of hardline Muslims on Friday demanding that he be charged with blasphemy for saying that some people had been “deceived” by other people using Al-Maidah 51, a verse in the Quran.

Ahok made the statement to residents of Thousand Islands regency and Jakarta administration officials in september. A video of the speech went viral on social media and set off a firestorm of criticism from several Muslim groups.

The governor has apologized for the incident, saying he did not intend to insult the Quran, but the apology has failed to appease the anger of hard-line Muslims.

“It is reprehensible that he said that. It is not wise to comment on other people’s beliefs,” said West Jakarta resident Kevin Ivander, 23, who plans to take the day off because of Friday’s rally.

“Because of his comment, the fuss about the rally has gone viral and created fear among us,” he added.

Kevin, who, like Ahok, is a Christian of Chinese descent, said that he would stay at home on Friday because he was afraid that trouble might break out while he was in town.

Olivia Theodore, a 24-year-old researcher, who also lives in West Jakarta, also said that Ahok should have known that citing a Quranic verse would only cause problems for himself as he had created many enemies as a result of his no-nonsense leadership.

“Many people had been looking for the chance to bring him down but unfortunately, he himself gave them that chance,” said Olivia. “He was not wise to [cite the Quran] in a public speech about his performance. It could have been different if he had said it in a religious discussion.”

Olivia had initially planned to go to work despite the rally because, although her Chinese features might put her in danger, she said she believed the rally would not turn violent.

However, her office, which is located in Kuningan, South Jakarta, decided to close for the day.

“My office decided to do so because most employees are women who live outside Jakarta,” Olivia said.

Nonetheless, Olivia said she still liked Ahok, but she suggested he be more discreet in his choice of words to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.

Meanwhile, the Ahmadiyah community, an Islamic sect regarded as heretical by mainstream Muslims in Indonesia, said that they would not take part in Friday’s demonstration.

Aryudi Prastowo, head of Ahmadiyah’s East Jakarta and Bukit Duri branch, said on Thursday that they would respect Ahok as the legitimate governor of Jakarta.

Aryudi added that Ahok’s statement might offend some Muslims in the country since the video, during which he allegedly defamed Islam, was selectively edited and people, therefore, could not hear the full context of his statement.

“If you see the full video you will be aware that Ahok was only expressing his concern about the issue without trying to defame the Quran,” he said.

In July 2015, the Ahmadiyah congregation in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, became a target for persecution by a hard-line group.

At the time, the Jakarta administration sealed a house that had been used as a place of worship by Ahmadiyah followers, after a crowd of locals objected to Friday prayers at the house and claimed the congregation had committed blasphemy against Islam.

Ahok urged the South Jakarta administration not to seal the mosque, but a red notice remains on the property’s fence to this day, while a banner opposing the minority group still hangs nearby and no Friday prayers have since taken place there.