Camelia Pasandaran – As part of efforts to halt the spread of radical Islam, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to write guidelines for religious leaders to convert Muslims back to the true path, the Indonesian Islamic Propagation Council (DDII) says.

"He [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] will write guidelines for preachers working to convert people," council chief Syuhada Bahri said after a meeting with the president on Thursday.

"The guidelines will be handed to us to explore and to deliver them to our preachers in all Indonesian regions.

"The council and the president agreed that if we understood Islam correctly, then there wouldn't be any violations or religious problems. A misunderstanding of Islam has tainted the religion." Presidential spokesman Julian Pasha on Thursday said the president fully supported the efforts of the council, but that they should be conducted according to true Islamic teachings.

Last month, the president acknowledged that religious-based violence posed a serious threat to the nation – especially considering a spate of book bombs this year, a suicide attack at a mosque inside Cirebon Police headquarters and an observed threat posed by the Indonesian Islamic State (NII).

Syuhada said the council would train Ulemas to understand Islam according to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. "We told the president that regulations and laws relating to religious harmony should be prioritized, as it is the obligation of a nation of many different religions," he said.