Lawmakers today called for an investigation into a heavy metal music genre which they accused of corrupting young people and encouraging them to turn away from Islam.

A parliamentarian from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition said "black metal" fans, who are mostly young Muslim Malays, were being diverted from Islam by the influence of Western culture and music.

"The Malay Muslim followers of black metal have confessed they are Satan's children. This sect, if left unchecked, will spread," lawmaker Mohamad Aziz was quoted as saying by the state Bernama news agency.

Other lawmakers called on the government's religious regulatory body, the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia, or Jakim, to investigate the music and called for a ban on related books and magazines.

"I've spoken to Jakim many times on this. Is Jakim not pro-active? Do we need to revamp Jakim?" said one MP, Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar.

The protest followed a Malaysia media report earlier this month on the resurgence of black metal, which said fans were stamping on the Koran and making animal sacrifices.

Black eye make-up

A religious official in northern Kedah state said authorities were worried about two groups of black metal teenage fans, describing them as wearing black clothing and eye make-up, and prone to loitering around in shopping malls.

Black metal is an offshoot of heavy metal music and is known for its satanic or pagan influences and occult imagery.

The music gained notoriety in Malaysia in 2001, after the media ran a series of exposes on young black metal fans, including lurid stories about ritualistic practices such as drinking blood and secret hand signals.

But fans and Malaysian black metal bands have defended the music, saying the rituals are harmless and part of the culture of the genre.

Malaysia is always on the lookout for what it calls deviant sects which veer from Islam, and authorities are sensitive about any cultural or social influences that may affect Islamic religious practice.