INDEPENDENT senator Nick Xenophon has been subjected to an extraordinary attack by a state-controlled Malaysian newspaper - publishing a 2009 speech in which he was critical of Scientology, but replacing it with the word ''Islam''.

The deception has left Senator Xenophon flabbergasted following a visit to Malaysia at the weekend to observe protests aimed at the ruling party.

He told The Age last night the word switch was an example of the kind of dirty tricks the ruling party employs and had used against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. The article appeared in the New Straits Times and is an attempt to discredit Senator Xenophon and Dr Anwar after the two met in recent days.

Headlined ''Anti-Islam Australian lawmaker comes under fire'', the article quotes from a 2009 speech Senator Xenophon delivered in Parliament.

The article claims he said: ''Islam is not a religious organisation. It is a criminal organisation that hides behind its so-called religious beliefs.''

Hansard - the Australian Parliament's record - records those exact words, except has ''Scientology'', not ''Islam''.

Dr Anwar was sacked as deputy prime minister in the late 1990s and jailed for sodomy, which he has always denied.