Jakarta – A survey showed yesterday that many Indonesians support the implementation of strict Islamic law. Nearly 60 per cent said they want adulterers whipped and 40 per cent were in favour of cutting off a thief's hands.

The survey, conducted by the US-funded Freedom Institute, also found 16 per cent of people polled refused to condemn terror attacks by the Al-Qaeda-linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiah (JI) if they were committed to fighting Muslim oppression. Still, 59 per cent condemned the attacks. Another 25 per cent said they had no opinion.

The findings will likely rekindle concerns that radical Islam is gaining a foothold in the world's most populous Muslim nation, which has long embraced a moderate form of the religion.

"It is a worrying phenomenon," said Mr Ulil Abdala, the institute's head. "There is a strong indication that radical Islam is gaining ground. It's definitely something that moderate Indonesian Muslims must take note of." He added that many uneducated Indonesians may not have access to information about the terror attacks that hit the country in recent years or their only sources of information are militant Islamic groups. Since 2002, Indonesia has suffered three major bombings blamed on JI that killed 224 people.

The survey, which was carried out for the first time earlier this month, showed many Indonesians support the establishment of laws based on the Quran. Fifty-nine per cent of people polled back whipping adulterers. Meanwhile, 39 per cent said they support polygamy for men and 40 per cent oppose a woman becoming president.

Many Indonesian Muslims also expressed intolerant attitudes towards Christians, with 50 per cent saying they oppose churches in Muslim-majority areas, the survey said. A Catholic school near Jakarta was closed for three weeks last month when a Muslim group built a 2m-high wall in front of its gates. The group accused the school of proselytising.

However, 82 per cent of Indonesians oppose a hardline militant group, the Islamic Defenders Front, which is notorious for raiding Western cafes and bars during the holy month of Ramadan.