Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The only Islamic-ruled state in the nation of Malaysia has lifted a 15-year-old ban on snooker parlors, part of an effort to shed its hard-line image.
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic party that rules northeastern Kelantan state announced Sunday that snooker parlors can operate if they close early, separate men and women and forbid gambling.
An aide to the chief minister said peripheral factors like gambling and mingling of the sexes caused the belief that snooker was "haram" - prohibited by Islam.
Such parlors are allowed in Malaysia's other 12 states, which are governed by a multiethnic coalition dominated by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's moderate party.
Kelantan's government has also shut down betting outlets, restricted sale of liquor and banned rock concerts. The ruling party also wanted to institute amputation of limbs and public lashings as criminal punishments, but was prevented by federal laws.