KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Associated Press reported that in this Muslim-majority country, it's OK to be Christian, Buddhist or Hindu but not Shiite.

Last month, Malaysian religious police raided a three-story shop-house and detained more than 100 Shias who had gathered to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Hazret Imam Hosein (AS), Prophet Muhammad (S)'s grandson, who was unjustly slaughtered in the year 680.

The report further said it was one of the largest such sweeps in years, sparking outrage and fear in the country's small but growing Shiite community. Some religious scholars see it as a worrying sign that Islamic authorities are becoming more hard-line.

"Malaysia is trying to become a country a la Taliban that only allows one school of thought," said prominent scholar Asri Zainul Abidin.

Despite its reputation for religious tolerance, Malaysia has been quietly discriminating against its own for years. The government recognizes only the Sunni branch of Islam and prohibits all others including Shiites, the world's second largest Islamic group.

Shiites face discrimination elsewhere, but Malaysia appears to be the only place that actually outlaws them.

"We are the oppressed people," said religious leader Kamil Zuhairi Abdul Aziz.

Kamil estimates there are at least 40,000 Shiites among Malaysia's 16 million Muslims, though the number could be higher as many conceal their faith to avoid trouble. A few have been detained in the past, and some sent to faith rehabilitation centers, but there is no official data on the number of arrests.

Malaysia's ban was issued in 1996 by the National Fatwa Council of top Islamic clerics and seen as unusual in the Muslim world. The council comes under the government's Islamic Advancement Department, so its decrees are de facto law.

The 3 million Shiites in neighboring Indonesia are able to practice freely, though they are often harassed on hard-line websites. In Bahrain, the government cracks down on Shiite activists.

"Shia is an Iranian sect," said leading cleric Harussani Zakaria, a member of the National Fatwa Council. "It has expanded secretly and now has many supporters who are starting to practice their faith in public. We don't want any religious differences. They are a threat to Muslim unity in Malaysia."