T

he simmering sectarian tensions in the nation’s capital ahead of the gubernatorial election could be used by extremists to “fan the flames of jihad”, analysts say.

In a test case for Indonesian democracy, a Christian candidate is leading in voter surveys in the race for the top job in the capital, where Muslims account for more than 90 percent of the population.

A number of hard-line Muslims have been rallying against incumbent Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, as they believe Islam prohibits its followers from electing a non-Muslim, a notion that has been rejected by other Muslims.

The religious sentiment against Ahok escalated and spread beyond Jakarta after the governor was accused of blasphemy for suggesting that some people had been “deceived” by others using Al-Maidah 51, a verse in the Quran.

Thousands of members of Islamic organizations will stage a major rally in front of the State Palace on Friday to demand that he be arrested and charged with blasphemy.

Radical organizations committed to jihad, including pro-Islamic State (IS) groups and those supporting Al-Qaeda, appeared to have taken advantage of the religious tensions to spread radicalism, Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) director Sidney Jones said during a discussion at the Wahid Institute in Jakarta on Tuesday.

In recent days, photographs of purported Syrian rebels calling for “national jihad” against Ahok have been circulating on social media.

Those pictured are believed to be members of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, previously known as the Al-Nusra Front, the Al-Qaeda branch in Syria.

They were holding signs saying “Prosecute Ahok or we will sentence him with our bullets” and “Arrest Ahok or national jihad”. In another photo, a fighter with his index finger raised up squatted down beside a box labeled “Ahok’s coffin”. The images have not been verified as genuine.

Indonesian IS supporters had encouraged each other via Telegram and other messaging services to use the Friday rally “to fan the flames of jihad” in Indonesia, Jones said.

The IS supporters, she said, were ordered to imitate the action of an IS sympathizer in Tangerang who stabbed several police officers in a terrorist attack last month.

They were asked to do the same thing on Nov. 4, when thousands of police officers would be deployed to secure the rally, she added.

In a photo circulating online, hard-line cleric Syamsuddin Uba, a former leader of pro-IS group Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), was seen during the first demonstration against Ahok. At the time, IS’ infamous black flag was also seen being held within a cluster of other flags.

National Police chief. Gen. Tito Karnavian told reporters Wednesday that he believed local IS sympathizers would join the Friday rally. “The question is, are they going to incite a riot or not?” he said.

The police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) issued its highest security level, known as “Siaga 1”, and Indonesian Military (TNI) troops are also being deployed to deal with the demonstration.

Former Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) member Nasir Abbas warned Indonesian Muslims to remain vigilant and restrain themselves from joining the rally, which he said could serve as a channel for terrorist groups to recruit more people to join their cause.

“The extremists are using the Jakarta gubernatorial election to show off their existence, that they will stand up with Muslims to face Ahok as an enemy because they cannot accept a non-Muslim as their leader,” Nasir said.