Tensions were high in Banten early on Sunday when radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was confronted by angry residents and asked to leave their village.

About 50 people surrounded a house in Kaujon village, Serang, where the former head of the hard-line Indonesian Mujahideen Council (MMI) was visiting. They demanded Bashir leave because his presence caused concern among residents.

But Bashir refused to leave, saying he was invited to attend an event at his friend's house. "On what grounds do you reject me? I'm only visiting and attending a Koranic recital – I am not a terrorist," he told the residents.

Bashir has been linked to the regional militant network Jemaah Islamiyah and accused of being its spiritual leader. His Al Mukmin boarding school in Ngruki, Solo, has also produced several graduates who have gone on to plan and execute a string of deadly terrorist attacks across Indonesia.

He recently made headlines for staging a "hero's burial" in Central Java for alleged terrorists who were suspected of involvement in the July 17 bombings at two upscale hotels in South Jakarta that left seven people dead.

The angry residents would not accept Bashir's argument and one of the protesters, Lukman Hakim, who is also a member of the provincial legislative council (DPRD), nearly came to blows with one of Bashir's guards. A village elder, however, managed to defuse the situation.

The residents eventually allowed Bashir to stay, and some even shook hands with him and apologized when he left. "I suspect this is the deed of people who dislike the unity of Indonesians," Bashir said of the confrontation.

Meanwhile, a local public figure, Rois, said the whole incident was just miscommunication between residents and the organizing committee of the recital. (JG, Antara)