Indonesia's president has signed a decree giving the government the power to ban radical organizations, in a move aimed at outlawing groups behind an apparent rise in the political clout of hard-line Islam.

The measure unveiled yesterday by the country's top security minister follows months of sectarian tensions in the world's most populous Muslim nation that shook the government and undermined its reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam.

It amends an existing law regulating mass organizations, allowing the government to sidestep a potentially lengthy court process to implement a ban. It is likely that Hizbut Tahrir, a group calling for Indonesia to adopt Shariah law and become a caliphate, is among the targets after the government announced in May that it planned to ban the group.

Wiranto, the coordinating minister for politics, security and law, said the decree aims to protect the unity and existence of Indonesia as a nation and not to discredit Islamic groups.

New York-based Human Rights Watch condemned the move.

ASSOCIATED PRESS