The city is gearing up for another large protest with Islamic conservative groups planning to stage a rally on Friday to demand President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo unseat incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama from his post.

Initiated by the Muslim People Forum (FUI), the rally will start from Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Central Jakarta right after Friday prayer and will end in front of the State Palace.

The rally will pass Jl. Merdeka Timur, the US Embassy on Jl. Merdeka Selatan, City Hall and the Horse Statue.

The FUI claimed that at least 100,000 people will join Friday’s protest. However, the police have predicted the number would be much smaller.

A number of well-known figures, including National Mandate Party (PAN) patron Amien Rais and Rizieq Shihab, the firebrand leader of the hard-line group Islam Defenders Front (FPI), are expected to join the rally.

The FUI ensures that the protest will not turn violent as the participants have no intentions other than to ask Jokowi to dismiss Ahok due to his status as a defendant in a blasphemy case, according to the rally’s coordinator and FUI secretary-general, Muhammad Al Khaththath.

“I am aware there are rumors circulating, which say tomorrow’s rally will turn chaotic. But this is a peaceful rally asking the President to comply with the law,” he told reporters on Thursday.

Khaththath referred to Article 83 of Law No. 23/2014 on regional administration, which says that a regional head should be temporarily dismissed if named a suspect of a crime with a prison sentence of at least five years, corruption, terrorism, treason and/ or other actions that could divide the nation.

Ahok is currently being tried for alleged blasphemy that angered conservative Muslim groups. The case triggered at least two rallies considered among the largest protests the country had ever seen, on Nov. 4 and Dec. 2 last year.

The rally is going to be held in less than three weeks before the Jakarta Gubernatorial Election runoff voting day, in which Ahok is trying to keep his gubernatorial seat from being taken by his rival, Anies Baswedan.

While the police have called on the protest to not be politicallymotivated, Khaththath said that after the rally ended, the protesters would gather at a mosque to show their support for a Muslim to be the next governor of Jakarta.

Ahok is a Christian of Chinese-descent, while Anies is a Muslim of Arab descent, who has voiced his agreement of the belief that it is haram (forbidden) for a Muslim to vote for non-Muslim leaders.

“[Having] a Muslim Jakarta governor is in accordance to the edict from the Indonesian Ulema Council [MUI]. We just carry out the edict,” Khaththath said.

However, two of the country’s largest Islamic organizations, Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, as well as the MUI itself, have denounced the rally, with MUI chairman Maruf Amin saying the rally is unnecessary.

Speaking after a meeting with Jokowi on Thursday, Maruf asked everyone to wait for the court to proceed with Ahok’s trial, expected to end in May.

To anticipate any violent breakout during the rally, the Jakarta Police have coordinated with the National Police and the Indonesian Military to secure the area around the State Palace.

“We will close the area around the palace within a 500 meter radius to give the protesters more space,” Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mochamad Iriawan said on Thursday, adding that the protesters would not be allowed to divert to other routes, such as Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, as it would cause a public disturbance. (dea)