At the gathering, the organization’s leader called on people to vote for a Muslim leader in the upcoming election.

The group, which was behind recent large-scale sectarian rallies in Jakarta, organized the event in collaboration with the Jakarta Islamic Siyasah Ta’Lim Assembly.

Posters for the event also displayed the hashtag #spirit212, in reference to a rally on Dec. 2 that demanded the prosecution of rival candidate and incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy in Thousand Islands last September.

The other rival candidate, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, was also slated to speak at the event at Al Azhar Grand Mosque on Jl. Sisingmangaraja in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. However, the son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono did not attend due to the death of Hadi Utomo, a former chairman of Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party.

Agus’ running mate Sylviana Murni was present but did not speak at the event.

GNPF-MUI chairman Bachtiar Nasir told the audience that choosing a Muslim leader aligned with Islamic teachings and that Indonesian democracy allowed voters to exercise their rights in such a way.

“I am not in a position to choose between the two Muslim candidates. But what is emphasized is that selecting a Muslim [at the next election] does not contradict democracy because you can choose leaders candidate based on faith and belief,” he said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

State Islamic University (UIN) political expert Adi Prayitno said Anies had lost momentum in appealing to Muslim voters who, according to him, had largely fallen for Agus. Adi noted that Anies was experiencing difficulty in finding a place between Ahok and Agus, explaining his “zig zag” politics.

“The most likely thing for Anies to do to increase his popularity is to rip supporters from AHY [Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono] from Islamic circles. Therefore, on many occasions in Anies’ political performance, he appears to be visibly Islamic [conservative], both in statements and political moves,” Adi told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Several pollsters recently put the Anies-Sandiaga Uno ticket at the bottom of popularity surveys comparing the three pairs.

In December, the Indonesian Survey Circle issued a survey showing that Anies-Sandiaga’s electability was the lowest at only 15.70 percent. Agus-Sylviana Murni got 33.6 percent while the incumbents Ahok-Djarot Syaiful Hidayat garnered 23.6.

Also in December, an Indonesian Survey Institution (LSI) survey put Anies-Sandiaga at the bottom with 23.9 percent popularity. Topping the list was AhokDjarot with 31.8 percent followed by Agus-Sylviana (26.5 percent).

Anies is widely known as a moderate Islamic scholar. During a recent visit to the Post’s office, Anies denied he had shifted from his moderate views. But he acknowledged he had to address sectarian issues because they “matter” to voters.

(Read also: Anies says he visited FPI to quash rumors about his religious identity)

In the first official candidate debate on Friday, Anies cited morality and moral values among Jakarta residents as of importance should he become governor.

Adi said Anies’ strategy was to strike a note as a moral guardian in the hope of gaining sympathy from Muslim voters.

“That’s why Anies polishes himself to look sholeh [obedient], maintains morality and fights for Muslim aspirations. This effort is to evoke the emotions of Muslims who recently have been quite driven to defend Islam,” Adi said.

Recently, Anies drew criticism after meeting with leaders of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) at its headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta. Anies said his visit aimed to straighten out rumors surrounding his religious identity that might disadvantage him in the election.

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