A court in Ipoh has ordered a French man to be deported after he faced charges of blaspheming Islam, the official Bernama news agency reported today.

Bastin Fabien Henri Andre, 48, from Calais, was accused of distributing leaflets entitled "Bible Copyright and Koran Plagiary" in Ipoh in May.

He was held in detention from the time of his arrest until his court appearance yesterday.

The prosecution said the leaflets could create tension between Muslims and Christians in the country. If convicted he faced a mandatory jail sentence of not less than two years and not more than five years.

Not a missionary

But Ipoh magistrate Al-Muhammad Mukmin Abdul Ghani gave Andre a "discharge not amounting to an acquittal" before ordering his deportation, Bernama said.

Sources with knowledge of Andre's case said he was not really a "missionary", as he was described in local media reports, but simply a traveller visiting Southeast Asia.

Malaysia is a multi-cultural country where Islam is the official religion, but large minorities follow Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. — AFP