The Director-General of Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development has said that sharia law provisions against homosexuality may not be enough to curb Malaysians from seeking to enter into same-sex marriages and has called for secular laws to ban the practice.

Director-General Datuk Othman Mustapha told The Star that moves towards legally recognizing same-sex relationships in neighboring Thailand could indirectly affect Malaysia and that laws were needed to prevent that.

‘Although Malaysia does not recognize same-sex marriages, we are unable to stop it from spreading, especially when there is no specific law inclusive of all races and religions to address this,’ Mustapha said.

‘In other countries such as Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia, this issue has gained a footing. These communities have made efforts and provocations to obtain recognition under the banner of ‘basic human rights’ and their movements are very detailed.’

‘Malaysia does not recognize LGBT. Its practitioners are committing a serious offense as stated in the sharia law in various states.’

Mustapha called on Malaysia’s Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to create a specific secular law banning same-sex marriage that covered all Malays as Malaysia’s sharia laws only apply to Malaysian Muslims.

Malaysia’s deputy prime minister and Education Minister said in April that LGBT rights advocates were ‘poisoning’ the minds of Malaysian Muslims and the government has a policy of directing LGBT people to Islamic faith based ex-gay style programs.