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KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak has called on Malaysians to rid the multicultural nation of racial tensions, six months into an administration that has seen several episodes of ethnic unrest.
In his first message as prime minister to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, Najib urged the country late Saturday to put aside differences in the pursuit of a better future.
"Let's break down the walls of prejudice, hatred and apathy for the sake of our children's future," he was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama.
"Let us make use of occasions like this to restore and strengthen relations among us Muslims and among us Malaysians," he added.
Najib's comments come after 12 Malays were charged earlier this month with sedition and illegal assembly over an explosive protest against the relocation of a Hindu temple that saw a severed cow's head paraded and abused.
The cow is considered a sacred animal to Hindus.
In April, the government said it would ban parents from secretly converting children after a furore erupted over the case of an ethnic Indian woman who faced losing custody of her three children after her estranged husband converted them to Islam without her consent.
Conversion rows, including "body-snatching" cases in which Islamic authorities have battled with relatives over the remains of people whose religion is disputed, are common in Muslim-majority Malaysia.
The tussles have led to allegations that the country is being "Islamised" and that the rights of ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities are being eroded.
Issues related to religion, language and race are highly sensitive in Malaysia, which witnessed deadly ethnic riots in 1969.
- AFP/yb
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