A dispute over where churches and temples can operate in Malaysia’s richest state has become an awkward political test for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling coalition, which came to power promising to protect the country’s multiracial and multi-faith society.

The row centres on planning guidelines in Selangor, a wealthy and densely populated state surrounding Kuala Lumpur, that critics say could restrict non-Islamic places of worship in commercial areas, where many religious groups have long operated because formally gazetted land is scarce.

The backlash has exposed wider anxiety among non-Muslim voters in the Muslim-majority country and lands at a sensitive moment for Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.

Recent flashpoints involving pig farms, Hindu temples and unauthorised worship sites on government land have raised concerns over minority rights.

The dispute began after Petaling Jaya Member of Parliament Lee Chean Chung flagged clauses in the Selangor State Planning Guidelines and Standards for Community Facilities, which were approved by the state executive council on November 12.

Drawn up by PLANMalaysia Selangor, the rules state that non-Islamic places of worship cannot be located in commercial zones, and that existing buildings cannot be converted for such use.