Jakarta – The Nahdlatul Ulama's youth wing, Ansor, has said that Muslims are allowed to vote for a non-Muslim administrative leader.Irwan Masduqi, caretaker of Assalafiyyah Islamic Boarding School in Yogyakarta and a prominent Ansor activist, said on Tuesday (14/03) that voting for a non-Muslim leader is not against Islamic principles.

"The principles of selecting a leader mean choosing a capable and honest candidate," Irwan said in a statement.

According to the cleric, the Koranic verses that were quoted by several parties to ban voting for a non-Muslim leader had been used in the past in the state of war. "These Koranic verses were used in a historical context when Muslims were at war," he said.

He added that the situation in Indonesia today is different from the context in which the use of the verses was justified. "The law is different during peace, like in Indonesia [today]. So, there are no restrictions on choosing leaders."

Earlier, concerns have mounted over religious and ethnic sentiments surrounding Jakarta gubernatorial election, in which non-Muslim incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama competes with former education minister Anies Baswedan.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.id/news/muslims-may-vote-for-non-muslim-administrative-leader-gp-ansor/