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A US Congress-appointed commission has expressed concern over the destruction of Hindu temples and other forms of alleged discrimination faced by religious minorities in Malaysia.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the administration of President George W Bush to raise the matter with Kuala Lumpur and "insist that immediate measures be taken to protect sacred sites and prevent further destruction".
It expressed concern over recent Malaysian government actions against the Indian Hindu minority "curtailing their human rights, including the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion".
"Continued discrimination against members of the ethnic Indian Hindu minority, including the destruction of sacred places and images, only fuels religious unrest and intolerance," said commission chairperson Michael Cromartie.
At least 30,000 Indians protested on the streets of Kuala Lumpur on Nov 25 to highlight racial and religious discrimination by the Muslim Malay-dominated government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
The Hindu Rights Action Force, which organised the rally, has claimed that, on average, one temple is demolished every three weeks.
Police dispersed the crowd with water cannon and tear gas, and witnesses said some demonstrators were beaten with batons.
The ISA threat
Abdullah has since accused Indian activists of stirring up racial conflict and threatened to use a draconian security law to detain protestors indefinitely without trial.
The US commission, a non-partisan panel appointed by the US president and leaders of Congress, noted that in late October, Malaysian authorities demolished a 100-year-old temple in Selangor.
The panel asked the Bush administration to get an assurance from the Malaysian authorities that no charges would be filed against the organiser of the demonstrations.
"Malaysia should ensure that internationally protected rights to peaceful assembly, expression, and freedom of thought, conscience and religion are protected," it said.
The commission also noted that Kuala Lumpur's Syariah courts have expanded their jurisdiction in recent years, threatening secular civil courts and the country's commitment to religious pluralism.
"[…] the Syariah courts have weighed in on a number of high-profile cases involving conversion, marriage, divorce, child custody, and burial rights of non-Muslims," it added.
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