Netizens on Thursday engaged in a Twitter battle with hashtag trends reflecting either support or rejection over the upcoming religion-driven rally on Friday in Jakarta.

The rally is expected to gather approximately 50,000 people in the nation's capital, including participants from areas outside the city. 

Twitter users have been using the hashtags #bakalikutdemo [will participate in the rally], as well as the opposing sentiment #jihadgwkerja [My Jihad is to work] and #nggakikutdemo [will not participate in the rally] in their posts to voice their opinions.  

Rd Hadi Roesmanto, with the handle @haditoya, posted on Thursday, "The November 4 action is not only to defend religion (Islam) but also to defend Pancasila #BakalIkutDemo". 

"If the government and police have been firm, maybe the 4-11-2016 action would not happen, the outcome of weak law enforcement #penjarakanahok [jail Ahok] #BakalIkutDemo," tweeted a user located in Yogyakarta, according to his account. 

Meanwhile, daughter of former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), Alissa Wahid, on @AlissaWahid, had posted "Those #BakalIkutDemo is in their right; Those #NggakIkutDemo is also in their right; Because there are many forms of love of the homeland as part of faith. Love. Not hate."

BoynesAries on ‏@ariston_boy tweeted, "Striving for the family is much more dignified #JihadGwKerja." 

Islamic hardline groups, such as the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), previously claimed that tens of thousands Muslims from outside of Jakarta would partake in the mass rally to push for the National Police to press ahead with legal actions against gubernatorial candidate and incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy.

The National Police will reportedly deploy around 20,000 personnel, with additional support from the TNI, which will deploy 2,500 personnel. (ebf)