The organisers of Miss World were today negotiating with the Indonesian government to have the pageant’s final near Jakarta despite protests from hardline Islamic groups.

The government last week decided to move the final of Miss World, scheduled for Sept 28, from Sentul, a satellite town south of Jakarta, to the predominantly Hindu resort island of Bali.

The move followed days of protests by Islamist groups opposed to the pageant. Opponents say that events like Miss World are anti-Islamic, arguing that they treat women as a commodity.

The pageant opened on Sunday as scheduled in Bali and was broadcast live nationwide by Indonesia’s largest television channel, RCTI, whose parent company organises the event.

“We’re negotiating with the government and expect the outcome tomorrow,” said Syafril Nasution, a member of the local organising committee.

He said it would be difficult logistically to move the final to Bali. Many hotels in Bali are also fully booked ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.

Last year, authorities in Jakarta refused to issue a concert permit for American pop diva Lady Gaga following protests by conservative Muslim groups that said her stage act was pornographic.

About 88 percent of the country’s 238 million people adhere to Islam.

- dpa