Jakarta: There has been a new twist in the blasphemy saga gripping Indonesia with Islamic hardliner Habib Rizieq reported to police for allegedly insulting Christianity during a sermon on Christmas Day.

The latest drama came as the North Jakarta District Court ruled it would proceed with the blasphemy trial of Jakarta's Christian governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, who is facing a maximum five years' jail for allegedly insulting Islam.

Muslim protesters raise their fists as the leader of Islamic Defenders Front, Rizieq Shihab, gives a speech during a protest against Jakarta's ethic Chinese and Christian governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. Credit:AP

Rizieq is the founder of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), the group that has spearheaded three mass rallies calling for the imprisonment of Ahok for telling voters they had been deceived by his opponents using a Koranic verse.

But the Union of Catholic University Students of the Republic of Indonesia reported Rizieq after viewing a video of a sermon in which he allegedly said: "If Jesus is the son of God, who is the midwife?". They also reported two people who uploaded the video on social media.