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Punctuated by chants of 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Great) from the massive crowd at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta, speaker after speaker spoke for the return of the caliphate system, which ended in 1924 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, to unite all Muslims who were now divided into 50 nations.
The gathering, the second after a rally in 2000, was touted as the largest international conference gathering leaders and supporters of Hizbut Tahrir (Arabic for 'party of liberation') from many countries, including Britain, Sudan, Australia and the Palestinian territories.
The Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), which organised the event, is a branch of the Hizbut Tahrir movement founded in Jerusalem in 1953.
HTI spokesman Muhammad Ismail Yusanto said the fall of the caliphate had caused the suffering of Muslims today, citing the plight of the Palestinians and the problems faced by Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, southern Thailand and the southern Philippines.
'Even in this country, the condition of Muslim Indonesians is pathetic. Because of the never-ending crisis, more than 100 million people now live in poverty,' he said.
Mr Ismail said it was time for Indonesia, being the world's most populous Muslim country, to elect a 'caliphate to save this country'.
Reading the rally's declaration, he urged all Indonesians to uphold syariah law and support the struggle to promote the religious code.
'The government and the people of Indonesia must put an end to the spread of secularism, which is the cause of all social ills,' he said.
Many local Muslim leaders, including former Muhammadiyah chairman Amien Rais, stayed away from the rally, citing other engagements.
Mr Ismail said hardline cleric Abu Bakar Bashir had been invited but could not come as he was banned from giving public speeches.
Two invited speakers - Mr Imran Waheed from Hizbut Tahrir Britain, and Mr Ismail Al Wahwah of the group's Australian branch - were deported when they arrived at Jakarta's airport on Friday.
'There could be foreign pressure on the government here to stop the speakers from attending the rally,' said Mr Ismail.
Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin spoke at the rally, but distanced himself from HTI's goal. He told the crowd: 'Muslim scholars and intellectuals have diverse opinion about the concept of a caliphate. Because of this, it is not easy to install a caliphate system here.
'Hence, we should be tolerant by respecting other people's views on the caliphate.'
In a text message to The Straits Times, he said that he disagreed with the call to revive the caliphate system in Indonesia.
'The caliphate system is not suitable for Indonesia as it goes against the pluralistic nature of the state,' he said.
At a press conference, Mr Ismail read out his group's demands again. He was evasive when asked whether he was suggesting a revolution to turn secular Indonesia into an Islamic state.
'We are not proposing revolution in the sense of using violence. We suggest a gradual approach in which Indonesia eventually accepts syariah law as the law of the land,' he said.
He added that non-Muslims in Indonesia, under syariah law, would be protected.
But he did not respond when asked whether Indonesia was already being ruled by an elected Islamic leader since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was directly elected and a Muslim.
