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Indonesian hardline Muslim charged with inciting hatred
21 Aug 2008 09:59:57 GMT
 Source: Reuters
JAKARTA, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Indonesian prosecutors charged the leader of a hardline Islamic group on Thursday with spreading hatred and inciting his followers to attack an interfaith rally in Jakarta in June where dozens of people were injured.

Members of the Islamic Defenders' Front, or FPI, attacked the peaceful rally after some speakers urged tolerance over the treatment of the Islamic sect Ahmadiyya, which some Indonesians consider "deviant".

Prosecutors said Habib Rizieq Shihab, head of FPI, had urged his followers to attack members of Ahmadiyya a few days before the June attack.

Shihab denied the accusation at a Central Jakarta court where security was tight. Hundreds of FPI followers attended the hearing.

Shihab, who is in custody, faces a five to nine-year sentence if found guilty.

Around 85 percent if the 226 million people in Indonesia are Muslim, and most are moderate. But a radical minority has become increasingly vocal in recent years.

Militant Muslim groups have attacked mosques and buildings associated with Ahmadiyya, and lobbied the government to outlaw the sect.

Some militant groups, especially since the fall of former president Suharto in 1998, have sporadically acted as vigilantes, attacking red light areas, liberal publications, and places considered offensive to their form of Islam.

FPI is well-known for its attacks on bars and nightclubs in Indonesia during the Muslim fasting month. (Reporting by Telly Nathalia; Editing by Sugita Katyal and Valerie Lee)


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Indonesian Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie speaks to foreign journalists in Jakarta August 13, 2008. Bakrie, Indonesia's richest man, said on Wednesday a firm linked to his family was not responsible for ...


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Last updated:Thu Aug 21 10:02:28 2008