Now, Indonesia's highest Muslim authority will issue a fatwa declaring the spread of bogus stories to be “un-Islamic.” “We will issue it as soon as possible, because the situation is worrying,” Indonesian Ulema Council chairman Maruf Amin said. “Hopefully, at least Muslims won't be involved anymore in hoaxes.”

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Unfortunately, fatwas by the Ulema Council, which represents the country's major moderate and conservative Muslim groups, tend not to have much impact. In the past, it's issued fatwas against clearing land for plantations by burning vegetation and against companies that force Muslim employees to wear Santa hats and other “Christmas-related attire.”

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The nonbinding ruling will be issued before the Feb. 15 election for Jakarta governor. It's aimed at curbing the rampant spread of misinformation about incumbent Gov. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.

Purnama, a Christian of Chinese origin, is running against two Muslim candidates. If he wins, he will be the first elected non-Muslim governor in Indonesia. (He was appointed to the post in 2014, when then-governor Joko Widodo ran for president.)

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That has prompted an outcry from some right-wing Islamic groups, which have warned voters in the world's most populous Muslim country not to support “nonbelievers.” And they've targeted Purnama in other ways, too. The governor was brought up on blasphemy charges after he allegedly insulted the Koran in a video that went viral. (He said his words were mistranslated.) That film prompted mass demonstrations by the hard-line Islam Defenders Front, who want Purnama jailed.

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Islam Defenders Front head Rizieq Shihab has also fanned anti-Chinese sentiment through social media — he tweeted recently that China wants to take over Indonesia and turn the country into a communist state. Long-simmering tensions between Indonesia's Muslim and Chinese population have been boiling up for decades. In 1998, about 1,000 people died during two days of anti-Chinese riots fueled by food shortages.