Rahmat – Hundreds of people in Makassar, South Sulawesi, demonstrated on Monday against the construction of a church at a housing complex.

The protesters from Tanjung Merdeka, Tamalate subdistrict, said they wanted to stop construction of the church because most residents in the area were Muslim.

"It's not proper to build other houses of worship [besides a mosque] in this location," said Daeng Sikki, who coordinated the protest, adding that the Tanjung Merdeka urban ward office had agreed to ban construction of the church.

The protesters were prevented by the police from visiting the contractor, so they went instead to speak with the housing developer.

Munkar Ronrong, general manager of the developer, Gowa Makassar Tourism Development, said the city's archdiocese foundation was responsible for the construction, not his company.

He promised the protesters he would conduct a mediation meeting with the foundation.