Sampang, East Java – Despite being assured of their safety by police and the local administration, Shiites living in two villages in Sampang, East Java, say they still face threats and violence from local Sunnis.

On Tuesday night, a mob of Sunnis armed with sickles and other weapons threatened to attack Shiites living in the villages of Karang Gayam and Bluuran, according to a pro-Shia activist.

The confrontation would have erupted into violence if not for the intervention of police and military officers assigned to keep the peace after a Sunni mob drove Shiites living in the Karang Gayam hamlet of Nangkernang from their homes on Dec. 29, the activist said.

"The situation in both villages since last night is tense, and Shiite people are afraid to go out of the house," said Muhammad Hadun, a lawyer with the Shia Islamic organization Ahlulbait Indonesia.

During Tuesday's confrontation, Sunnis demanded the expulsion of all Shiites on the grounds that the sect was a cult.

Hundreds of local Shiites had returned to their homes last Thursday after seeking shelter at a football stadium following the Dec. 29 attack, during which Sunnis burned homes, a mosque and a boarding school. The Shia branch of Islam is followed by a minority in Sunni-dominated Indonesia.

"We really want the [police and military] officers to be neutral in this case and not let violence happen again," Hadun said. "The Shiites agreed to return to their hometown because the police had guaranteed that the situation was secured and there would not be another attack."

Sampang Police on Tuesday refused to comment on the situation and blocked journalists from entering either of the villages.

On Wednesday police raided the homes of local Sunnis and Shiites and confiscated weapons. Three platoons of Mobile Brigade (Brimob) officers were also deployed in the area as an added security measure. "Don't go to the scene as we're still trying to calm down the masses," Sampang Police Comr. Danuri said.