JAKARTA, June 10, 2008 (AFP) - A minority Islamic group at the heart of a sectarian furore in Indonesia said Tuesday it did not recognise a ministerial decree ordering it to stop its activities and vowed to appeal.

The Ahmadiyah community, slapped with a quasi-ban on Monday after violent protests by Islamic hardliners, urged followers to pray, stay calm and obey 'existing laws' while it prepared its legal response.

'We regret the issuance of the joint ministerial decree because (this type of decree) does not exist within our reformed constitutional system,' the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) said in a statement.

It said that under the decree Ahmadiyah was 'not frozen, banned or disbanded.'

'JAI members will always obey and abide by the state constitution and other existing laws, so to members we call for calm and we say increase your prayers to Allah,' it said.

Hardliners had demanded the government outlaw the sect which contravenes orthodox Muslim teachings by believing Mohammed was not the final prophet.

But moderates said the decree contravenes the constitutional right to freedom of religion and urged Ahmadiyah to challenge the restrictions in court.

Under the ruling signed by the attorney general and the ministers for the interior and religious affairs, the sect must 'stop spreading interpretations and activities which deviate from the principal teachings of Islam.'

Failure to comply could result in five years' jail, it said.

JAI secretary general Ahmad Sukardi told reporters: 'We will take legal action to appeal.'

Ahmadiyah leaders told a press conference the sect had about 500,000 followers in the country of 234 million people, with 330 branches across the archipelago.

Zafrullah Pontoh, a senior leader, said: 'In the decree it's not detailed what kind of activities are forbidden so we'll keep doing all our rituals.'

He asked whether the sect's three monthly blood-donation drive was forbidden under the decree.

'We are also the biggest eye donor of any Muslim organisation in this country, is that also forbidden?' he asked.

Ahmadiyah followers believe the sect's founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was the final prophet of Islam and not Mohammed.

The case has raised concerns about pluralism and tolerance in the world's most populous Muslim country.