Malaysians debate nation's religious identity

LANGKAWI, Malaysia (AP) — The large Buddhist, Christian and Hindu minorities in Malaysia are increasingly expressing concern over their place in the majority Muslim country.

Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak upset minorities and civil rights groups by calling Malaysia an Islamic state. On Tuesday, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad weighed in, calling the country "not an Islamic state, neither are we a secular state. But by definition, as recognized by most international societies, Malaysia is an Islamic state."

Malaysia's Constitution does not clearly say whether the country is secular or theocratic, but states that Islam is the official religion. It also guarantees freedom of worship for non-Muslims.

Much of the debate over Malaysia's identity has been triggered by the reluctance of civil courts to make rulings in cases involving disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims. The courts have instead referred the cases to Shariah courts, which govern the conduct and lives of Muslims. The Shariah courts have invariably ruled in favor of the Muslims.

The most controversial case was that of Lina Joy, a woman born to Muslim parents who failed to get the Federal Court to recognize her conversion to Christianity. The court rejected her appeal to have the "Islam" tag removed from her national identity card in May, saying that only the Shariah court could rule over that.

About 60 percent of the 26 million Malaysians are Muslim, while 19 percent are Buddhist, 9 percent are Christian and 6 percent are Hindu, according to a 2006 U.S. State Department religious freedom report.