Govt denies back-down over Indonesia sect ban

Updated June 11, 2008 14:44:45

Ahmadiyah followers pray in their mosque in Jakarta. [Reuters]

The Indonesian government denies it has caved in to pressure from a militant Islamic group that had attacked a minority Islamic sect which it sees as deviant.

Under pressure from Muslim hardliners, the government has issued a quasi-ban against the Ahmadiya sect.

The Indonesian vice president, Jusuf Kalla, says Ahmadiya can continue to exist, and its followers can worship in their homes and mosques, but the sect must not preach or try to convert others.

Ahmadiyah followers believe the sect's founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was the final prophet of Islam and not Mohammed - breaking one of the basic tenets of the religion.

Rights groups say instead of standing up for religious tolerance as enshrined in the constitution, the government is prosecuting people for their religious views.