Women's group slams KL Muslim authorities

Women's group slams KL Muslim authorities

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): A Muslim women's rights group has criticized religious authorities for planning to prosecute a well-known Malaysian singer in an Islamic court for being in a restaurant where alcohol was served.

Zainah Anwar, executive director of Sisters in Islam, was quoted in The Star newspaper Tuesday as calling the arrest of Azlina Abbas "selective prosecution."

The 29-year-old vocalist was detained when officers from the Religious Affairs Department of central Selangor state raided a restaurant June 10.

The incident has been widely criticized for threatening the livelihood of ordinary people who have jobs in restaurants or bars. Though Islam is observed by the dominant Malay ethnic group -- the country is hosting a meeting of 56 Muslim nations this week -- Malaysia is a multicultural society.