A meeting of the Coordinating Board for the Surveillance of Faiths in Society on Wednesday concluded that the Ahmadiyah sect, which has followers worldwide, deviated from Islamic teachings.

The sect believes Mohammed was not the final prophet, contradicting a central tenet of mainstream Islam. The group has several thousand members in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.

The board recommended that 'Ahmadiyah members be ordered, and be given stern warnings, to halt their actions,' board coordinator Wisnu Subroto told a press conference here.

'If the order and strong warnings are unheeded, then Bakorpakem (the board) recommends the disbandment of the Ahmadiyah organisation (and the banning of) all its teachings and activities,' Mr Subroto said.

Ahmadiyah leaders who disregarded the order and continued their religious activities could face contempt of religion charges, which carry up to five years of jail, he added.

'The Indonesian Ahmadiyah congregation has engaged in activities and religious interpretations that deviate from the principal teachings of Islam which is adhered to in Indonesia,' Mr Subroto said.

He said the sect's activities and existence 'has given rise to unrest and tension within the society that has disturbed public law and order'.

Ahmadiyah was declared deviant in January by the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), Indonesia's highest Islamic authority.

The central government has so far not banned the group, despite such orders being issued by a number of local governments.

Ahmadiyah communities have been the target of mob attacks and violence in various parts of the country in the recent past. -- AFP