The International Islamic University (IIU) defended its decision to compel non-Muslim women to wear headscarves at graduation ceremonies, after drawing criticism from student leaders and civil society groups.

"IIU will stand by its decision. We will not change it," International Islamic University Malaysia public relations director, Shamsul Azhar Mohamad Yusof, told AFP .

He said the headscarf, or tudung , had been part of the university's mandatory graduation attire for all female students, Muslim and otherwise, since 1987.

"On other days, non-Muslims are not obliged to do so," he said.

Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang raised the issue in parliament last week, saying that a non-Muslim undergraduate from the university had complained she was forced to wear a headscarf to the event.

But the government endorsed the university's ruling, saying it was merely a matter of university discipline.

Students: Review policy

Malaysian university student leaders have urged the university to review its decision.

"For Muslims there is no question about it, but there should be sensitivity when involving non-Muslims," Mohamad Efendi Omar, president of the prestigious Universiti Malaya's student representative council, told the Star newspaper.

"They (non-Muslims) should not be compelled to do so (wear the headscarf) if they don't feel comfortable."

Twelve Indian civil society groups have also lodged a police complaint against the institution over the ruling which they said contravenes the constitution and principles of freedom of religion.

Malaysia's minister in charge of national unity, Maximus Ongkili, said the government would discuss the matter, but reiterated his stand that the issue was not a religious one and did not breach human rights.

"Because it is a university ruling, students have to adhere to it as a matter of procedure and discipline," he told the Star . "They were aware of this requirement before they chose to study in IIU."

The growing influence of Islam on Malaysian society over the past two decades has seen a major increase in the number of Malay Muslim women wearing headscarves as a sign of religious devotion.

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