Indonesia's ambassador to Australia says Tony Abbott's comments on Islam are unhelpful and divisive.
The former prime minister said the Islamic faith needed to "modernise from the kill-or-be-killed milieu of the Prophet Mohammed".
Ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema told AAP on Wednesday this was a time for all nations to unite to defeat the scourge of terrorism.
"A rhetoric boasting of cultural and religious superiority over other cultures and religions is unhelpful to the cause and divisive," the ambassador said.
"It is important for us including the multicultural societies of Australia and Indonesia to keep our focus on efforts to creating a long-term solution to the common challenges of violent extremism that we face."
He said violent extremism was a common challenge for all religions.
