Indonesia's president has signed a decree giving the government the power to ban radical organisations, in a move aimed at outlawing groups behind an apparent rise in the political clout of hardline Islam.

Asian governments called on Hamas to renounce violence and work toward peace today after its victory in Palestinian elections, while hard-line Muslim groups hailed the result as a reward for decades of armed resistance against Israel.

Activists in three of Asia’s main Muslim countries today decried US and British forces’ alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners as a “despicable” show of Western hatred toward Muslims, and demanded that the coalition leave Iraq immediately.

From half a world away they watched, mesmerised like everyone by televised images of the soaring twin towers of the World Trade Centre disintegrating into pillars of smoke, dust and ash.