WASHINGTON, D.C., December 7, 2007: A US Congress-appointed commission expressed concern Thursday at the destruction of Hindu temples and other alleged discrimination faced by religious minorities in predominantly-Muslim Malaysia. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the administration of President George W. Bush to raise the matter with Kuala Lumpur and “insist that immediate measures be taken to protect sacred sites and prevent further destruction.” The commission said it was “concerned” by recent Malaysian government actions against the ethnic Indian Hindu minority “curtailing their human rights, including the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.” “Continued discrimination against members of the ethnic Indian Hindu minority, including the destruction of sacred places and images, only fuels religious unrest and intolerance,” said commission chairman Michael Cromartie.
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