Mob ringleader sentenced

JAKARTA (AP):

The ringleader of a frenzied mob attack that killed three members of a minority Muslim sect was sentenced to five and a half months yesterday, in a ruling decried by critics as too lenient and a blow to religious freedom in Indonesia.

Eleven others also were convicted of less serious charges of weapons possession in the February violence and sentenced to between three and six months behind bars.

Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim and secular nation of 240 million, has a long history of religious tolerance.

But an extremist fringe has grown more vocal in recent years and the government, which relies on the support of Islamic parties in Parliament, has been accused of caving in to them. The government in 2008 banned the activities of the sect and rights activists say the decision might have encouraged the violence against the group.

The attack on members of Ahmadiyah, considered deviant by many conservative Muslims here and abroad because they do not believe Muhammad was the final prophet, placed Indonesia under the international spotlight because it was captured on video and widely circulated on the Internet.