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Please pray for Jakarta

Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **11/4/16 8:45 am**

Conservative Is|amic protestors are in Jakarta today. Some of them started hitting the police in riot gear, and the police dispersed one of the sections of the crowd with tear gas.

An election is coming up for the Jakarta governor. Most people in Jakarta really like him, office workers, taxi drivers.

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."

Ahok is known for improving the streets, cleaning up bureaucracy to get rid of corruption. The president is also popular right now.

I've heard a testimony of how Ahok became president. I've also met his sister at a Christian conference and heard his brother give a speech. His brother is also a governor. They are Christians and Chinese, unlikely candidates to be govenors.

There were some Mus|ims, based on a certain passage in their book about not having leaders who are Jews are Christians. Ahok said to a group of people while campaigning not to be fooled by that stuff about (names the section of their religious book) and says something about being afraid of going to Hell. I think he misspoke a bit since it sounded like he was talking about him going to hell, but I think he was saying not to be fooled by those who use that verse to say that if they vote for him, they will go to Hell.

Some religious leaders accused him of insulting their religious book, and kept talking about prosecuting him. He's supposed to have freedom of speech and religion. But many people in the country think such things should be illegal. There may be some local laws that are enforced on the local level. It seem slike media opinions are split between democracy and religious opinion.

The protestors are from outside of town. I talked to a couple of Jakartans who thought Jakartans would have to be very foolish not to vote for Ahok.

Most of the demonstration-- which had thousands probably mostly from out of town-- was huge, made up of thousands. Mostly, it seems to be peacful. The tear gassed protestors dispersed. The crowds near the national monument about a block from the US embassy seem to be calm, based on news reports.

Please pray for peace and calm.
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