Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the two most influential Islamic organisations in Indonesia, urge Muslims to refrain from violence during the holy month of Ramadan and the run-up to the July 9th presidential election.

"As Muslims, we will have two important events coming up: the election and Ramadan," Abdul Mu'thi, secretary of Muhammadiyah's central executive board, told Khabar Southeast Asia on June 9th.

"Therefore, let us open our hearts and minds for our faith and our country."

He called on millions of Muhammadiyah members to be vigilant and not be provoked into violence by certain organisations that might want to use the election and Ramadan for their own agendas.

"We need to continue our efforts in embracing tolerance in the region," Abdul said." Tolerance is our biggest call in uniting Indonesia."

For its part, NU is committed to ensuring peace and harmony during both events, Chairman Said Aqil Siroj told Khabar.

"This year is very special in that we will have Ramadan and the presidential election at the same time. And both are important for Muslims. We will ensure that these two events run smoothly," he said.

"Our commitment to both events is unquestionable."

Good citizens

The message appears to have trickled down to ordinary citizens, such as 50-year-old Jakarta resident Ahmadi Said.

During a special time like this, Muslim Indonesians need to be good citizens, he said.

"It is very rare that we have these two important events (election and Ramadan) at the same time. Therefore, we need to respect both and ensure that no one takes advantage of these events for their own purposes," Ahmadi told Khabar.

Meanwhile, Indonesian police are encouraging people to ensure political campaigns are peaceful in the final weeks before the election, said National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar.

"We need a secure situation to make the upcoming presidential election a success. The success of the election will depend upon us," he told Khabar, adding people in all communities could play a role through organising neighbourhood watches.

"The neighbourhood watch is our strength and serves as a strategic effort to prevent violence and to ensure that our community is safe."