KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 -- The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) has objected to parts of Selangor's 2025 planning guidelines for non-Muslim houses of worship, saying several conditions for obtaining prayer spaces were too restrictive.

In a position paper sighted by Malay Mail, the council said among its objections was a requirement for a population catchment of 5,000 residents, or 1,250 housing units, with a minimum 1.5-acre site set aside for all non-Muslim houses of worship.

"For followers of a religion, for example the Sikh community, if there are only about 20 families, or about 100 people, in a housing development area, they will not meet the criteria, but for the Sikh ...