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Police insist Feb. 11 rally remains within Istiqlal confines
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Men shout "God is great" during a rally against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who is on trial for alleged blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta on Dec. 2. (AP/Dita Alangkara)
T
he National Police have instructed conservative Muslim groups that plan to rally on Feb. 11 to stage the event within the confines of Istiqlal Grand Mosque.
“Because what they want to do is to conducts prayers, it’s fitting for them to do it in Istiqlal,” said National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompul on Wednesday.
Martinus was quoted by tribunnews.com as saying that the police would not deploy extra personnel to secure the Feb. 11 rally as priority was being given to safeguarding the Feb.15 gubernatorial election.
The General Elections Commission has declared Feb. 12 to 14 a cooling-off period before voting day, but some conservative Muslim groups intend to rally to remind Muslims about Verse 51 of the Surah Al-Maidah in the Quran, which prohibits Muslims from voting for a non-Muslim.
