Indonesian hardliners demand band on minority sect
Updated
Hundreds of Muslim hardliners have taken to the streets of Jakarta to demand the government ban a minority Islamic sect branded "deviant" by top clerics.
Cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was among the protesters from various Islamist groups who chanted and waved banners condemning the Ahmadiyah sect.
They blocked the street in front of Jakarta's presidential palace to demand President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issue a decree to ban the sect.
Calls to ban Ahmadiyah have been mounting since June when the government ordered the sect to stop spreading its belief that Mohammed was not the last prophet.
