Jakarta governor guilty of blasphemy for 'insulting Islam'

The former governor of Jakarta has been found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison after insulting Islam during a campaign speech.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the first ethnic Chinese Christian to run Indonesia's capital, was put on trial after quoting a verse from the Koran "to prove to his supporters that there were no restrictions on Muslims voting for a non-Muslim politician", CNN reports.

However, says the New York Times, a video of the speech "edited to make it seem that he had said the Muslim holy book was misleading people" went viral on Facebook, leading to the blasphemy charge.

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The trial was "widely seen as a test of religious tolerance in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation", Reuters reports, amid signs that Indonesia is tilting towards political Islam.

Supporters and opponents of Purnama, who is more commonly known as Ahok, gathered outside the Supreme Court in Jakarta during histrial, leading to fears of unrest as the verdict was delivered.

Around 15,000 security personnel from the police and military were called in and riot police and armoured vehicles separated the groups.

Purnama said he will appeal against the court's decision.