Jakarta – Indonesia's Religious Affairs Minister Tarmizi Taher faced further criticism yesterday for having said it was halal (permissible under Islamic law) to take the lives of rioters.

"As a national religious leader, Tarmizi should have spoken using only true Islamic references," Said Agil Siraj of Indonesia's largest Muslim organisation Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) was reported as saying by The Jakarta Post daily.

Five student organisations at the state-run Islamic Institute in Jogjakarta, Central Java, on Friday demanded the minister resign over his remarks.

He told religious leaders in Surabaya, East Java, last week that "the blood and lives of rioters are halal".

Mr Sutrisno Muchdam, deputy chairman of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organisation, said Mr Taher should have avoided remarks which could provoke the public.

Mr Taher has not made any further statement on his Surabaya remarks.

Sporadic riots have broken out in many parts of Indonesia, especially East Java, where hundreds took to the streets to protest perceived election violations and irregularities.

The ruling Golkar party scored a big victory in the May 29 general election with more than 74 per cent of the vote, while the Muslim-led United Development Party finished a distant second with just over 22 per cent.