The political event started very early at 3 a.m., followed by a mass dawn prayer, zikir (chanting), munajat (whispered prayer) and Quranic tilawah (recital).
ass prayers, religious chanting and ubiquitous Islamic attire gave a religious tint to the campaign rally held by the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno candidate pair at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Sunday. It was the largest rally they have held before election day on April 17.
Tens of thousands of people in white shouted Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest) repeatedly during the event that also presented a number of Muslim figures, including a video call from Islam Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Shihab from Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The political event started very early at 3 a.m., followed by a mass dawn prayer, zikir (chanting), munajat (whispered prayer) and Quranic tilawah(recital).
A number of political bigwigs attended the rally, including National Mandate Party (PAN) patron Amien Rais and chairman Zulkilfi Hasan, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Sohibul Iman and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.
In his speech, Prabowo reiterated his commitment to Pancasila as the state ideology and dismissed rumors that he was planning to establish an Islamic caliphate. “Some say that our coalition will change our Pancasila ideology. This is very cruel defamation. But Indonesian people will not be affected by that issue, because our clerics have always taught us that Indonesia’s Islam is rahmatan lil alamin [a blessing for the universe],” Prabowo said.
In his message, Rizieq urged rally attendees to vote for Prabowo and Sandiaga, saying the pair was not a supporter of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and liberalism. “Prabowo-Sandiaga won’t back the PKI. They will not support liberalism and extramarital sex and they will not criminalize clerics,” Rizieq said.
Muslim preacher and opposition activist Neno Warisman was also given a stage to pray for the downfall of the current government during the event, referring to the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as a “dzolim [cruel] regime that should fall”.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.