KUALA LUMPUR, December 23 (IslamOnline.net) - The U.S. criticism against Malaysia on religious freedom is still making waves in the country with high officials saying they will lodge an official protest against the super power if the fifth annual International Religious Freedom Report released by the Department of State was to affect Malaysia's image and world standing, news agencies reported Tuesday, December 23.

"Malaysia will lodge an official protest against the United States but would first hold discussions with the U.S. Embassy to seek an explanation over the report," which was released last Thursday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Seri Syed Hamid Albar, was quoted by the official Bernama news agency as saying Tuesday.

"We'll wait until we've read the full report. If we were to find that it projects a situation which is totally untrue and completely baseless, we'll submit a protest note.

"We're raising objections because we're not happy over the move to come up with a report in such a way which could tarnish the image of our country and erode confidence towards our country," he told reporters after attending the district's Hari Raya gathering.

This is not the first time that the U.S. state department on religious freedom touched negatively on Malaysia. In 2002, a similar report lambasted Malaysia for preventing Muslims from changing faith.

The report stirred debates in the country on apostates and further divided the supporters of the government and the opposition on the issue.

"We want to hear their side of the story. We wish to find out the criteria they've applied in coming up with the report," the Minsiter added.

The Minister further maintained that the report also had an implication on the country's security pertaining to the multi-religious aspects of the people in the country.

The report identified Malaysia as among the nine countries with laws or policies that favor certain religions and place others at a disadvantage. It claims that such policies have led to the curtailment of religious freedom.

Syed Hamid said that Malaysia had come a long way compared with some Western countries in terms of religious freedom including permission to set up schools by practitioners of the various faiths.

Western countries, he said, not only disallow headscarves to be worn in schools but also revoke citizenship of Muslims and enforce various laws which discriminate against them.

"In Malaysia, you can wear anything as long as you take into account the sensitivities of the other religions," he said.

The Minister added that in obtaining input, the views of the government should also be sought to ensure that it was a balanced report.

He went on to explain that Malaysians could experience and outsiders witness for themselves the freedom of worship in the country. Malaysians are free to practice their diverse religions, though Islam is the main force in the country.

A large chunk of the country's population of 25 million are of Muslim faith, which amounts to 60 or 65 percent according to recent census figures.

Asked whether the report would strain ties between Kuala Lumpur and Washington, Syed Hamid, however, expressed confidence that relations would not be affected and would remain normal.

On Malaysia, the report said "Islam is the official religion although the constitution provides for freedom of religion.

"Non-Muslim religious minorities generally worship freely although with some restrictions, such as construction of places of worship and new cemeteries."

The report alleged that the government monitored the activities of the Shiite minority and claimed the right to detain members of what it considers Islamic "deviant sects", i.e. groups that do not follow the official Sunni teachings.

The report is mandated by Congress and may affect U.S. aid or relationship with that country if there were no improvement.

Meanwhile, a statement posted on the website of the State Department said that the report does not criticize the amount of religious diversity in Malaysia or a lack of interaction among the many faiths found in the country, as reported by some media.

At the same time, a report released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, among others, said that the Malaysian constitution provides for freedom of religion, however the government places some restrictions on this right and although Islam is the official religion, the practice of Islamic beliefs other than Sunni Islam is restricted significantly.

This U.S. report, which was carried by the local media, was widely criticized by Malaysian politicians, religious groups and community leaders.

"The full text of the executive summary of the 2003 U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report and the specific report on Malaysia are being made available on this website to allow everyone to read the report and make their own judgments," said the statement.