Jakarta, Sep 2 (DPA) Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Saturday accused western media of applying double standard in reporting about Muslims.

"If a non-Muslim dies in a battle, then western media would blow it up. This is not happening for Muslims who die in Palestine, Iraq, and now Lebanon," the Antara news agency quoted Yudhoyono as saying.

Yudhoyono, speaking at a two-day forum of international journalists in Bali, said Muslims did not demand special treatment. "They just want to be respected as other religions are," Yudhoyono said.

He referred to cartoons of Islam's prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper that were reprinted in other countries, causing global protests by Muslims last year.

"The cartoon incident has shocked us all, some Western media journalists didn't even know it's forbidden to publish a drawing of prophet Mohammed," Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono urged Western media to learn from the cartoon controversy, which claimed 139 lives around the globe.