The first issue of X-Men Gold from Marvel has caused an outcry among Indonesian netizens as it contains symbols related to current religious and political issues happening in Indonesia.
Created by Indonesian Ardian Syaf, the symbols in the new comic series reference the protests against Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama.
In one of the panels showing a baseball match between the new members of the X-Men, “QS 5:51” is written on Colossus’s shirt.
Another panel also shows the numbers “212” above a building near to X-Men leader Kitty Pryde’s head, one of the most prominent Jewish heroes in Marvel Comics, according to io9.gizmodo.
QS 5:51 is allegedly a reference to the surah Al Maidah verse 51 of the Quran.
Ahok, a Christian and a Chinese-Indonesian operating in a Muslim-majority country, angered Muslim groups after he referenced the verse during a visit to Thousand Islands regency on Sept. 27, 2016.
Following an investigation, the National Police named him a suspect for alleged blasphemy.
Several rallies have taken place, one of them was the “212 Rally” held on Dec. 2, 2016.
Taking place at National Monument (Monas) square in Central Jakarta, some protesters were found shouting anti-Ahok slogans as they called on the police and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to arrest Ahok.
At that time, Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab warned the government that Muslims would take to the streets again if they were dissatisfied with how the law dealt with Ahok.
