Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – A house thought to have been a place where "deviant" Islamic teachings were disseminated was set alight by residents from Enclek Sebrang village in Tangerang, police said Tuesday.

Tangerang Police detective chief Insp. Ade Ary said the house had been vandalized before it was set on fire. It belonged to Juhata, who is believed to be the leader of an exclusive religious group with 100 members. "The residents also set fire to several motorcycles and a car parked near the house," he said.

Officer Ade said it was unfortunate the residents had taken the law into their own hands, as earlier they had made an agreement with the "deviant" group.

"Talks between the two groups were mediated by members of the Tangerang Ulema Council. We regret the violence and we are still looking into it," he said.

The residents arrived at the house at approximately 2 a.m., telling Juhata and his students to leave. They complied with the order, and no injuries were reported.

The local neighborhood unit chief, Sahwi, alleged Juhata had been using his house to spread his own Islamic teachings since 2004. "Juhata's group is very exclusive. He and his followers never communicate with local residents," Sahwi said.

He said local residents had long been aware of the activities of Juhata's group and concluded that they deviated from proper Islamic teachings.

Hasan Basri, the secretary of the Tangerang Ulema Council, said it was not yet clear if Juhata's teachings were deviant. "We would need to conduct further investigations before we could come up with such a conclusion," he said.