Shiite detentions in Malaysia fuel fears of crackdown

Syed Mohamad was celebrating a key date in the Muslim Shiite calendar in secret when officials burst in and detained him, one of several raids in Malaysia that have set the long-persecuted community on edge.

Dozens of Shiites have been rounded up recently in the Sunni Muslim-majority country, including several foreigners, fuelling fears that religious authorities are stepping up a crackdown on adherents of the minority sect.

Around the world, Shiite Muslims -- who are far outnumbered by Sunnis, and follow some different doctrines and rituals -- say they face discrimination from authorities and others who accuse them of being deviants.

About 60 percent of Malaysia's 32 million people are Muslim and the country is also home to substantial minorities of Hindus and Christians, and the different communities have largely co-existed harmoniously.

Critics however say that a traditionally moderate brand of Islam is being eroded as vocal conservatives gain ground, and the small Shiite community -- whose teachings have been banned in Malaysia for over two decades -- complain of ever greater pressure.

In September religious enforcement officers and police raided a series of clandestine gatherings by Shiites commemorating Ashura, which marks the seventh-century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson.

As Syed prayed with a small group in a rented premise in southern Johor state, a 20-strong raiding party scaled a fence and burst in.

"It sparked fear among the worshippers, the women and children began crying," he told AFP.

"There were four men with face masks... One of them had a gun and they accused me of not cooperating and threatened to assault me." - 'Climate of fear' -