And Obama thought he could please the Ummah by ensuring Bin Laden was given his “strict” Islamic burial within the Koran-mandated 24 hours.

JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesia’s top Islamic body on Tuesday condemned the sea burial of Osama bin Laden, as radicals promised a day of mass prayer to mourn the Al-Qaeda leader’s death at the hands of US special forces.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s office issued a statement which neither applauded nor condemned the killing of the world’s most wanted terrorist and alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

“The president said Indonesia has a common spirit with other nations in fighting against terrorism,” spokesman Julian Pasha said in the first official Indonesian reaction to the news.

Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation and has been hit by multiple terror attacks including the 2002 Bali bombing which killed more than 200 people, mainly Western tourists.

Reflecting local sensitivities, the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI), the country’s highest Islamic body, slammed the US decision to bury bin Laden at sea.

“A Muslim, whatever his profession, even a criminal, their rites must be respected. There must be a prayer and the body should be wrapped in white cloth before being buried in the earth, not at sea,” MUI chief Amidhan said.

“Many others have condemned it, especially as it was done with extraordinary hatred against him.”

The United States says bin Laden received Muslim rites but his body was “eased” into the Arabian Sea so no one could turn his grave into a shrine. Other Muslim leaders have also condemned the method of burial.