Jakarta – Thousands of members from the hard-line Muslim group, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), staged a rally in front of the State Palace on Saturday, calling on the President to issue a decree to ban immoral activities during Ramadhan, which is predicted to start Monday.

"Issue a presidential decree to tackle immoral activities during Ramadhan," one of the orators at the rally, Abdulrahman Assegaf, demanded, as reported by tribunnews.com.

The demonstrators, wearing all-white outfits, came from FPI branches nationwide. They carried banners, one of which read: "Indonesia is not a state of Islam. But it is not a state of devils either."

The rally caused traffic congestion in the area around the State Palace as demonstrators had parked their vehicles along the road. More than a thousand police officers were deployed to secure the area and manage the traffic.