People flocked to Gus Dur's residence since in the afternoon to participate in the night’s events, which included prayer, poetry readings, speeches and the reading of a commitment to peace and tolerance for the country.

Roads near the venue visibly became congested from the influx of people coming to the venue, which included people from outside Jakarta.

(Read also: Gus Dur would have loudly condemned recent acts of intolerance: Activist)

Security of the venue was also tightened with several police officers seen on patrol nearby.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was scheduled to give a speech at the event.

Several high-ranking officials in the government also were in attendance, including Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saefuddin, Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan and National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian.

Alissa Wahid, Gus Dur's eldest sister, said the vision and ideas of the late Gus Dur were still relevant today, especially amid recent growing sectarianism in the country.

"In response to the increasing culture of hatred among Muslims and the adherents of other faiths recently, we feel it has become even more relevant to propagate the Islamic values practiced by Gus Dur," Alissa said in a statement. (jun)

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