Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Indonesia's two leading Muslim groups – the Muhammadiyah and the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) – have vowed to distance themselves from local politicking and instead speak up for the country's moderate Muslims.

This turn of events came as the organisations appear to have woken up to the reality of being overlooked, as radical groups and self-serving political parties wage for support from the Muslims.

The two organisations – NU, once headed by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, and Muhammadiyah, formerly led by National Assembly Speaker Amien Rais – admit that for too long they have been caught up in domestic power struggles.

Now their leaders want to stay clear of local "politicking" and would not allow the organisations to be used by the Muslim parties which they spawned. Instead they say they want to be a neutral but progressive voice for Muslims.

Said Muhammadiyah chairman Syafi Ma'arif: "There is hardly anyone really discussing the serious problems in Indonesia today. All the political parties are too preoccupied with their own struggles."

Muslim political parties have almost no agenda outside strengthening their political positions, and offer few solutions to Indonesia's economic and social crisis, he said. "The influence and popularity of religious parties has diminished because they have no clear vision," he added.

As radical Muslim groups call for holy war against the United States, Israel and Indonesian Christians, the far more moderate and gentle views of the average Indonesian are rarely heard, according to critics of the two organisations.

And as international arguments raged over whether Islam was an inherently violent religion, Indonesia's two largest and moderate Muslim groups were quiet largely because they were too caught up in their own internal struggles, say observers.

They say NU and Muhammadiyah must not allow militant groups to dictate the agenda by letting them get away with calls for jihad or for an end to ties with the United States.

Mr Syafi feels that Muhammadiyah should also back "reformasi" or the on-going democratisation of Indonesia by promoting direct presidential elections and opposing the introduction of syariah law.

Muhammadiyah's Youth wing chairman, Mr Rizal Sukma, said many people would look to NU and Muhammadiyah for guidance on contemporary issues such as whether the military should be given the right to vote. "If the two organisations can make clear their stance on these big issues, they will make a big impact," he said.

Mr Achmad Bagda, a senior NU leader who is part of a NU-Muhammadiyah joint committee, agrees that as Indonesia's largest grassroots organisation it should be trying to educate ordinary citizens about politics.

While the two groups have much in common, joining forces is nonetheless a sudden turnaround for the former rivals which vied for political patronage under former presidents Suharto and Habibie, say observers.

Antagonism between the more modernist Muhammadiyah and the rural NU when both Mr Abdurrahman and Dr Amien used their former organisations to mobilise mass support has often became violent.