Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has said the Southeast Asian country has ‘no need’ for a gay Pride parade.

Razak said Malaysia’s ‘moderate’ form of Islam was incompatible with extremes, be they conservative or liberal, during a breaking-of-the-fast event in Kuala Lumpur last week.

‘Islam is a religion that promotes peace. Islam does not promote violence and teaches us moderation. It is not extreme nor it is too open,’ he said.

‘There is no need for events like a gay parade because it is too open.’

Najib added that deviant cultures were slowly ‘creeping into’ Malaysian society, but did not elaborate on what these were.

Gay sex is illegal in the country and punishable by fines, whippings or up to 20 years imprisonment.

Last month, A Sharia court in the northeastern state of Kelantan sentenced nine transgender women to fines, and two to one-month jail terms, under an anti-crossdressing law.