Protesters hold up a lighted candles to show solidarity in Bandung, Indonesia, on May 13, 2017, for the release of Jakarta’s governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as “Ahok.” Ahok was jailed for two years after being found guilty of blasphemy, in a decision that stoked concerns over religious intolerance in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.
In most South and Southeast Asian countries, ‘religion is a powerful force, and in most of them, more radical forms of the religion have been getting stronger,’ says religious freedom expert Paul Marshall. ‘I would say the overall pattern is increased tension, increased repression.’
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