Malaysia's non-Muslim ministers have called on the prime minister to protect the rights of religious minorities, in an unprecedented move, ministers and religious leaders said.

The 10 cabinet ministers submitted a memorandum on Wednesday to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, which asks for a review of laws and the constitution where they infringe on minorities' rights.

"Non-Muslim ministers want to see a change in the present situation," Plantation and Commodities Minister Peter Chin, one of the ministers who signed the document, told AFP.

"The non-Muslim ministers are not happy with regards to the present situation, so we are expressing this sentiment to the prime minister," said Chin, who declined to reveal specific details in the memo.

Their unusual move follows the controversial Muslim burial of a well-known mountaineer M Moorthy over his Hindu wife's protests, which sparked outrage among religious minorities.

Moorthy was found to have converted to Islam by a syariah court in which his non-Muslim wife had no say, while a civil court refused to rule on the religious court's findings.

Religious minorities in mainly-Muslim Malaysia say non-Muslims are increasingly losing out in legal disputes to Muslims, whose matters are heard in syariah courts in the country's dual legal system.

"The recent development of some of the court decisions are not considered to be helpful in resolving inter-religious differences," Chin said.

"People and religious leaders have expressed their dissatisfaction," over the issues, said the minister.

Non-Muslim minorities have been campaigning for a review of laws and changes to an article in Malaysia's constitution, which says civil courts have no jurisdiction on matters under syariah courts.

Minister's move hailed

The council of minority religions, the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism, which has been lobbying the government, hailed the ministers' move.

"I think this is truly unprecedented," said council spokesman Wong Kim Kong.

"The issues at hand are so intense and so urgent," said Wong, who told AFP the council had been consulted over the memo.

"It calls for review of the laws to examine where are the loopholes and the weaknesses that create the confusion and do not provide any provision or protection for non-Muslims in Muslim issues," said Wong, who has seen the memo.

But religion in the multi-ethnic country is a highly sensitive issue and tensions have been rising, with Muslim groups opposed to any changes.

Wong called for "emotional maturity" in debates.

"It's not a religious issue, it's a social issue with social problems that have emerged out of a religious matter," he said.

The non-Muslim ministers' memorandum which was submitted on Wednesday by Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting was signed by all non-Muslim ministers, except Tourism Minister Leo Micheal Toyad who was overseas.

The other eight were Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy, Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn, Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek, Works Minister S Samy Vellu, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik, Plantation Enterprises and Commodities Minister Peter Chin, and Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department, Bernard Dompok and Maximus Ongkili.