The country's Catholic bishops have issued a rare press statement to express alarm and concern over Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic state.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Malaysia, in a statement signed by the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Anthony Soter Fernandez and obtained Tuesday, said it was also worried by moves towards imposing Islamic syariah law in an opposition-led state.

The bishops "view with alarm and grave concern" Mahathir's statement, the passing of the syariah law in Terengganu and "the increasing trend of politicising Islam in the political arena", the satement said.

The archbishop said it was enshrined in the Malaysian constitution that while Islam was the official religion, Malaysia was a secular state and freedom of religion was guaranteed.

"We call upon all Malaysians, Muslims and members of other faiths to resist all attempts to change the secular nature of our constitution," the statement said.

Muslims make up 60 percent of Malaysia's 23 million people and Christians represent nine percent. Another 19 percent are Buddhist and six percent are Hindus.

Insufficient guarantee

Archbishop Fernandez said assurances by Mahathir that the constitution would not be amended did not offer a sufficient guarantee that Malaysia would not degenerate into "the intolerant Islamic model".

He urged the government to establish inter-religious councils to promote harmony among all faiths and to respect religious freedom.

The status of religion has become central to Malaysian politics in the wake of the Sept 11 terror attacks on the United States.

The government has detained without trial 62 suspected Islamic militants, winning praise from the United States for its cooperation in the "war on terrorism".

Mahathir has also polished his image as a moderate Muslim leader with recent visits to the White House, European capitals and the Vatican.

But at the same time he has insisted that Malaysia is an "Islamic state", a move seen by some analysts as simply semantic juggling designed to steal the platform of the main opposition, the hardline PAS.

The Chinese-dominated opposition DAP has already launched a campaign opposing Mahathir's announcement, first made last September but recently accorded regular emphasis.

DAP leader Lim Kit Siang and a dozen supporters have been arrested for distributing leaflets on the issue. Lim, who has said Mahathir's declaration could turn non-Muslims into second class citizens, is on bail facing charges of sedition.

Instant mee-like declaration

PAS, on the other hand, is putting Mahathir's declaration to the test by trying to impose strict Islamic syariah law, including amputations for theft and stoning to death for adultery, in Terengganu state, which it controls.

The chief minister of the only other PAS-ruled state, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, has scoffed at Mahathir's declaration, saying it made Malaysia an "instant Islamic state just like instant noodles".

In return, Mahathir has accused PAS of wanting to introduce an oppressive Islamic state along the lines of that run by the Taliban in Afghanistan before their overthrow last year. AFP