(AFP) A state beauty queen has been disqualified from contesting the national Miss Malaysia World pageant because she is a Muslim, a report said today.

Norazlin Johari, the newly-crowned Miss Sarawak, would retain her title but would not represent the state for the upcoming national Miss Malaysia World pageant, the Star newspaper said.

It said national organisers barred Norazlin from contesting and had picked another finalist to represent the state on Borneo island.

Alaric Soh, the state pageant organiser, was quoted as saying that Norazlin was the second Muslim to win the state title since 1990, adding that future contests would no longer be open to Muslims.

Hashim Yahya, a senior cleric, told AFP that several states have rules against Muslim women taking part in beauty pageants.

The national pageant is only open to non-Muslims.

More than half of Malaysia's 23 million people are Muslims.