Jakarta – Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Sohibul Iman said the victory of presumptive Jakarta governor-elect Anies Baswedan and his running mate, Sandiaga Uno, gives momentum to Muslims to raise their dignity in the political sphere.
"I take lessons from Jakarta gubernatorial election. Following the victory of Anies-Sandiaga, I visited several regions [and I see] that Muslims perceive the victory as an event, which has raised their dignity," Sohibul said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday.
Sohibul, whose PKS allied with the Gerindra Party to back Anies-Sandiaga in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, said the pair's victory was inseparable from the Indonesian Muslims who united to give their support to the candidates.
According to the politician, Muslims in civil-society organizations and political parties have united ever since claims emerged alleging that Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama may have committed blasphemy against Islam.
With the rise of Islamic pride in politics, Sohibul asked the nation's political party elites to understand and prioritize accommodating the aspirations of Muslims.
Separately, Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) consultative board chairman Din Syamsuddin said Muslims should be independent in politics, considering Indonesia is a Muslim-majority nation.
"Defending the interests of Muslims means defending the interests of Indonesian citizens [...] We hope there is a solution for political parties to defend Muslims" Din said.
Judges presiding over Ahok's trial are set to announce their verdict on May 9. Prosecutors have scrapped the blasphemy charges, and are now only pursuing an accusation of defamation against Islamic ulemas. (afr)