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Members of Indonesian Islamic sect march for rights, allege harassment

AP - Wednesday, May 7

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Three hundred members of a Muslim sect the Indonesian government is considering banning marched through the capital Tuesday to demand the right to practice their religion.

There have been several acts of violence and intimidation against members of Ahmadiyah, considered heretical by hard-liners, since a powerful government commission recommended last month that the sect be outlawed.

An Ahmadiyah mosque in West Java province was burned to the ground days later by perpetrators yelling "kill, kill!" About 200 people living on the mosque compound managed to escape.

On Tuesday, protesters marched to the office of the United Nations' human rights representative to submit a list of alleged abuses suffered by Ahmadiyah members, including hundreds of people said to be living in camps after being forced from their homes.

Some mainstream Muslims consider the 80-year-old faith heretical because it does not consider Muhammad to be the final prophet, but its members reject the claim.

"There is no difference between Ahmadiyah and other Muslims," said demonstrator Budi Pratsyo, 30. "We have the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad" and pray five times a day.

Indonesia is a secular country with a long history of religious tolerance. But in recent years a hard-line fringe has grown louder and the government _ which relies on the support of Islamic parties in Parliament _ has been accused of caving in to it.

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