Malaysia’s ruling coalition faces test over Selangor non-Muslim worship house rules

AI Summary

Malaysia's ruling coalition faces political pressure over proposed planning guidelines in Selangor state that may restrict non-Muslim places of worship in commercial areas, testing the coalition's commitment to multiracial and multi-faith protections.

A dispute over where churches and temples can operate in Malaysia’s richest state has become an awkward political test for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling coalition, which came to power promising to protect the country’s multiracial and multi-faith society. The row centres on planning guidelines in Selangor, a wealthy and densely populated state surrounding Kuala Lumpur, that critics say could restrict non-Islamic places of worship in commercial areas, where many religious groups have long...