Opposition party DAP today said it may take Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to court for declaring that Malaysia is an Islamic fundamentalist state.

Party chairperson Lim Kit Siang said Mahathir's announcement in parliament Monday had shocked all Malaysians.

"When did the cabinet make this radical policy shift to declare Malaysia as a fundamentalist Islamic state, going against the 1957 independence constitution, the social contract of the major communities?" Lim asked.

"The DAP central executive committee will ... consider among other things the proposal to take Mahathir to court."

Lim said Malaysia was not an Islamic state but a secular nation with Islam as the official religion.

Muslims make up 60 percent of Malaysia's 23 million population, but large Chinese and Indian minorities follow Buddhism (19 percent), Christianity (nine percent) and Hinduism (six percent).

Mahathir, usually seen as a moderate Muslim leader, told parliament that Malaysia was an Islamic fundamentalist state as its policy was to abide by the fundamental teachings of Islam.

Political juggling

Mahathir's declaration can be seen as political juggling by a veteran prime minister who enjoys semantics and faces opposition from an Islamic party whose main platform is the introduction of an Islamic state.

He has repeatedly told non-Muslims they have nothing to fear from his earlier definition of the country as "Islamic", while accusing the opposition PAS of wanting to impose an oppressive Taliban-like regime.

The DAP has, however, launched a nationwide "People's Awareness Campaign" to highlight concern over the Islamic state issue, which they say could turn non-Muslims into second-class citizens.

Leader Lim, 60, was arrested earlier this month and charged with sedition for distributing pamphlets criticising Mahathir's earlier statements. He is free on bail.