Jakarta, Indonesia - Religious violence in Indonesia is on the rise, a moderate Islamic think-tank said on Wednesday, criticising the government for not taking a tougher line on radical groups.
The Wahid Institute, founded by former President Abdurrahman Wahid, reported 227 separate violations of religious freedom including torture, attacks on places of worship, and restrictions on freedom of belief, for the first 11 months of the year in its report.
"The frequency and quality of violent conflicts is increasing and the government is weak in its response," the report said, adding that this could prove dangerous in the long run.
Officially secular Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, accounting for roughly 85 percent of the country's total, with significant Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities.
But with parliamentary and presidential elections due next year, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appears unwilling to alienate the smaller Islamist parties. He depends on them in parliament and may need their support in the elections.
Among the more controversial steps taken by his government were the introduction of an anti-porn bill, which the religious minorities mainly opposed, and a decree restricting the Ahmadiyya Islamic sect.
The report criticised the government for bowing to pressure from hardline groups which demanded a ban of the Ahmadiyya sect.
The Ahmadis are considered heretical by some Muslims because they refuse to accept the Prophet Mohammad was Islam's final prophet, and say that the founder of the sect, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, is a prophet and messiah.
Some hardline Muslim groups have attacked buildings owned or associated with the Ahmadis, and disrupted a large rally held in Jakarta in support of religious freedom.
The report also highlighted sharia influenced by-laws in several parts of Indonesia, including Aceh province, where anyone who wants to work in a government office must pass a test showing that they can read the Koran.