KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian Islamic scholars complained on Monday to the country's Sultans about moderate Muslim commentators they said had insulted the religion, after their petition was ignored by state religious authorities.
"Certain individuals and newspaper columnists in this country have clearly insulted Islam, the Koran and the Hadith (Prophet's sayings)," Abdul Ghani Shamsudin, head of the Muslim Scholars Association of Malaysia, told a news conference.
The Association and seven other Islamic groups, in a note to the chairman of the Conference of Malay Rulers, urged the country's nine Sultans -- hereditary rulers who are defenders of the Islamic faith and head of Islamic religion in their respective states -- to act against the writers.
Abdul Ghani said the association had lodged a similar complaint to state religious authorities but no action was taken. The association singled out political commentator and newspaper columnist Farish A. Noor among others.
Reacting to the note, Farish said his criticisms of the "inconsistencies and contradictions" of ulamas (Muslim scholars) should not be read as "attacking Islam".
Those found guilty of insulting the religion face fines of 5,000 ringgit ($1,315), three years in jail or both.
Islam is Malaysia's official faith. The government follows a moderate form of Islam and allows freedom of religion in the multi-racial nation of 23 million people, which includes many Buddhist ethnic Chinese and Hindu ethnic Indians.
On Sunday, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad hit out at Muslim extremists, telling the World Economic Forum in New York that many people were distorting the faith to legitimise their own political creed, greed and ambition.