KUALA LUMPUR A Malaysian state Sunday ordered shopping complexes to remove Christmas decorations and focus instead on promoting the Muslim Eid al-Fitr festival next month.

More than half of Malaysia's 23 million population are ethnic Malays, who celebrate the Eid al-Fitr festival in early December to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Chua Soi Lek, the tourism committee chairman for southern Johor state bordering Singapore, slammed shopping malls for being influenced by western culture in their year-end festive decorations.

"The Johor state government is disappointed with a group of shopping complex proprietors' who are influenced by western culture until they neglect in promoting the (Eid al-Fitr) celebration," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

Priority

Chua told the managements of the shopping complexes to promote the Eid al-Fitri festival first, which comes nearly three weeks ahead of Christmas.

The Johor government's move came amid complaints from some Muslim quarters that shopping malls nationwide were insensitive to their feelings by focusing on Christmas in their decorations.

The Suria KLCC shopping mall next to the Petronas Twin Towers, the world's tallest building, was among the complexes named. AFP