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resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called on GP Ansor, the youth wing of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, to be brave and to be on the front line in safeguarding the state ideology of Pancasila and national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity).

The President also said that he expected GP Ansor to protect the state from terrorist threats and separatism.

“GP Ansor has shown that our country’s heritage is the spirit of warriors and the sincerity of heroes. GP Ansor can’t be easily threatened, and that’s our spirit as a nation,” Jokowi told thousands of GP Ansor members at a commemoration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, known as Maulid Nabi, in Pekalongan, Central Java, on Thursday evening.

GP Ansor was recently in the spotlight after a division of the group, Barisan Ansor Serbaguna (Banser), was involved in the burning of a black flag bearing the tauhid (statement of the Islamic creed) written in Arabic.

The incident occurred during National Santri Day celebrations in Garut, West Java, on Oct. 22 when a resident named Uus Sukmana carried a black flag on which was emblazoned the Arabic script.

Banser members, who thought it was the flag of outlawed group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), burned the flag, and the incident was captured in a video that later went viral on the internet.

Muslim groups in several regions staged rallies condemning the incident and demanding the police punish the perpetrators, culminating in the Aksi Bela Tauhid 211 (Nov. 2 Action to Defend the Tauhid) demonstration in Jakarta.

The protestors said the flag burners had committed blasphemy against Islam, which is a crime under articles 156 and 156a of the Criminal Code.

Muslim leaders assembled soon after the protests and agreed to leave the case to the police and to maintain peace and harmony among Islamic organizations across the country.

Two members of Banser were later arrested and each sentenced to 10 days’ imprisonment by Garut District Court for burning the flag bearing the Islamic text.

The two men, Faisal Mubaroq and Mafhudin, were charged under Article 174 of the Criminal Code for disrupting a public gathering, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of three weeks.

Uus was also charged under the same article and also received a sentence of 10 days.

Jokowi said GP Ansor should insist that Pancasila could not be replaced by any other ideology and its members should be patient in facing all problems and challenges, and put the interests of the nation first.

“I want all GP Ansor members to safeguard and maintain our unity and brotherhood as the country with the largest Muslim population. Our biggest asset is our unity and harmony. We should uphold our Ukhuwah Islamiyah [Islamic brotherhood] and Ukhuwah Wathaniyah [brotherhood of the nation],” Jokowi said.

Growing radicalism and extremism has become a major concern in the country, which was shaken by a string of attacks by terrorists earlier this year involving multiple bomb attacks by three families, including wives and children, in Surabaya, East Java.

NU has become one of the government’s main stalwarts in the fight against radicalism.

The President has even picked Ma’ruf Amin, a prominent NU leader, as his running mate in next year’s presidential election.