TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thousands of Muslims, most of whom were santri (Islamic school students) from Islamic schools (pesantren) in Kediri, East Java, joined the tablig akbar (mass prayer) to welcome the Islamic New Year that falls on 1 Muharam.

The mass prayer took place at the Kediri Central Mosque and thousands of participants flooded mosque and the streets nearby, prompting the police to close several streets in the city.

On that occasion, they also demanded one of the promises made by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who pledged to name 1 Muharram (the Islamic new year) as a national Santri Day.

Joko made the promise when he was campaigning in East Java before the presidential election.

The mass prayer, which was led by Cleric Miftahul Aquyar, one of clerics at East Java Nahdlatul Ulama, the biggest Islamic organization in Indonesia, also prayed for a better Indonesia now that the country has a new leader.

"We pray that our new leaders can carry out the mandates given by the people and will not violate religious norms,” Miftahul Aquyar said in his sermon.

In the meantime, Chairman of Kediri Nahdlatul Ulama also voiced his hope that Joko Widodo would immediately fulfill his promise about Santri Day and said that the promise is a ‘debt that he cannot ignore’.

HARI TRI WASONO