Imam Shamsi Ali of the New York Islamic Center has asked the Islamic Defenders Front to reconsider the methods it employs to achieve its goals.

His statement came in response to the pushback against the hard-line group, known as the FPI, that caught fire with a protest against the group by members of the Dayak tribe in Central Kalimantan. That incident was followed by the recent demonstration in Jakarta against the FPI organized by a group calling itself "FPI-Free Indonesia."

"I ask the FPI to reflect on their methods, and question whether their way has been consistent with Islamic ethics or not," Ali said in Jakarta on Tuesday night.

The FPI has built a reputation for itself as a vigilante group known to employ violence and intimidation.

The organization has been threatened with having its license pulled after a number of incidents, most recently when members of the group pelted rocks at the Home Affairs Ministry's office in January in protest of the minister's decision to annul local bylaws banning alcohol sales.

According to Ali, Islamic mass organizations are necessary to seek solutions to socio-cultural problems.

"The FPI still exists because there is public pressure to reduce unjust things in society. But, I disagree that you reduce unjust things through unjust ways, which contradicts the ethics of Islam," Ali said.

"That is why I really ask the FPI to rethink their ways, because Islam will always leads toward peace, not cruelty," he said. "According to history, [Prophet] Mohammad always uses persuasive and peaceful methods to teach his messages."

Ali was in Jakarta, along with 13 other interfaith representatives from the United States, to deliver a message of peace and harmony through religious tolerance. He was joined by other religious leaders from the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths.

The group arrived in Jakarta on Feb. 12 and were scheduled to meet with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday. After leaving Jakarta, the group will bring their message to Jordan, where they will meet King Abdullah II, and to Jerusalem to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Perez.