Malaysia probes Muslim raid on retired American couple

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 (Reuters) Malaysia's tourism authorities will open a probe into the controversial raid of a retired Christian American couple by an Islamic vigilante squad, local media said today.

Retired American policeman Randall Barnhart, 62, and his wife, Carole, 61, were raided by a vice squad last month at their rented flat in the northern resort island of Langkawi in Kedah state.

The couple were asleep at 0200 hrs when a six-member team pounded on their door and demanded to inspect their condominium on suspicion of them committing ''khalwat'', or close proximity.

Barnhart had initially refused to open the door but relented when the officers became aggressive. They had asked to see his ''woman'' and demanded to look at their marriage certificate.

''My wife had to show herself despite only having a sarong on at that time,'' one newspaper quoted him as saying.

It was not immediately clear why the couple, in Langkawi on a boating trip, were targeted.

But the New Straits Times said today the Ruler of Kedah state had asked vigilante squad members to be more courteous when carrying out such raids.

Under sharia law, khalwat is the crime of being in close proximity to someone of the opposite sex who is neither a spouse nor a relative.

The law does not apply to non-Muslims in Malaysia, which considers itself a moderate Islamic nation and an US ally in the anti-terror war.

Barnhart met tourism ministry officials on Thursday to protest against the incident.

The Star newspaper said today Malaysia's Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor would brief Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Cabinet on the case.

Local Christians said the episode had given Malaysia a bad name.

''Just recently, our Prime Minister refuted allegations that Malaysia is a 'police state','' the Christian Federation said.

''An incident such as this, and many more similar actions in the past by over-zealous vigilante groups in the country point to the contrary,'' it said in a statement.

REUTERS SHB VC1022