Fidelis E. Satriastanti & Ismira Lut Fia – "I have always said that if you want to see an example of religious pluralism, look at Indonesia," Irshad Manji said.

So it came as a nasty surprise to this award-winning Muslim reform advocate from Canada when Jakarta Police, egged on by the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), broke up a discussion on Friday evening of her latest book, "Allah, Liberty and Love."

"I'm surprised at the rise of such groups, and I know that what happened at Salihara [the site of the discussion] was not the first time such a thing has happened," she said on Saturday at a discussion hosted by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).

In an interview on Sunday, Manji warned that Indonesia was "going more in the direction of Pakistan than in the direction of real democracy," adding that she saw a more conservative climate now than in her last visit four years ago.

While Muslim radicals here have often complained of imperialism on the part of the United States, Manji said that there was another form of foreign imperialism creeping into Indonesia.

"If you want to talk about foreign imperialism, believe me, it's not America or Israel that is the problem in this part of the world," she said. "It's Saudi Arabia."

She cited growing calls for more conservative women's clothing, among other things, espoused by Wahhabi Islam.

Nevertheless, Manji, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for her documentary film "Faith Without Fear," said Friday's incident would not change her mind about Indonesia and moderate Islam. She also called on Indonesians not to be tyrannized by hard-liners such as the FPI, who were clearly in the minority.

"I am not saying that extremists or fundamentalists should not exist. They have the right to their point of view," she said. "What they don't have the right to do is steal choices from those who have another point of view and do wish to hear it."