Indonesian Muslim leaders welcomed Thursday the government's decision to ban the showing of the Oscar-winning film "Schindler's List."

"I am most grateful that the film is banned. That means the government is responding to the people's aspiration toward the Schindler's List film," said Ahmad Sumargono, head of the Committee for World Muslim Solidarity, or KISDI."From the beginning we opposed the film being shown to the public in Indonesia because it had no big advantage to the country," Sumargono told United Press International in a telephone interview.

The national Censorship Board decided to ban it because "it contains too much violence and nudity," said Sukanto, the executive director of the censorship board. "It's purely because of the nudity and sadistic actions."

"I fully agree with the other (Islamic) leaders, such as Mr. Hasan Basri - chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) - in their response to `Schindler's List' film in that we want the film to be banned, " Sumargono said.

"Schindler's List," the story of a German industrialist who saved more than 1,000 of his Jewish employees from the Nazi holocaust, won seven Oscars in March, including best picture and best director for Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment Studio has withdrawn the film from Malaysia due to the government's insistence that several scenes be cut.