Jakarta – An Indonesian sect leader was jailed for four years Wednesday for declaring himself a new Islamic prophet in a case brought to court following pressure from Muslim hard-liners.

Ahmad Mushaddeq, a retired civil servant, was arrested in October along with six of his followers. He formed the Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah sect in 2000 and it once claimed 40,000 followers.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country and has a long history of religious tolerance and secular institutions. In recent years, however, such traditions have come under attack from an increasingly vocal hard-line Islamic fringe. About 85 percent of Indonesia's 230 million people are Muslims.

In its verdict Wednesday after several months of hearings, a three-judge panel at the South Jakarta District Court ruled that Mushaddeq, 64, was "guilty of violating the criminal code by committing blasphemous acts."

Several members of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front in the court cheered the verdict and briefly scuffled with Mushaddeq's followers.

Mushaddeq's lawyer said he would appeal the verdict. "Does the judge think he is God?" asked Muhammad Tubagus. "This is against the constitution."

In addition to declaring himself a prophet, Mushaddeq also told followers they did not need to pray five times a day, fast during the month of Ramadan or perform the pilgrimage to Mecca – three pillars of Islam that most believers consider obligatory.

Hard-line Muslim groups, including the country's influential Council of Clerics, whipped up a media frenzy over the sect and threatened to attack its members unless the government arrested its leaders.

Rights activists and liberal Muslim critics have defended Mushaddeq, insisting that authorities should protect freedom of religion as guaranteed by the constitution and should not prosecute people for their beliefs. They accuse the government of caving into extremism so as not to appear un-Islamic ahead of elections next year.

The government is now preparing a decree to outlaw another Islamic sect, the Ahmadiayah movement. The group has branches worldwide and believes that Muhammad was not the final prophet.

In 2006, a former boxer was jailed for two years after leading ritual prayers in Indonesian, not Arabic as most Muslims believe is obligatory. Last year, a female leader of a sect that blended elements of Islam and Christianity was also imprisoned.