KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysia's conservative opposition Islamic party has urged a ban on skimpy outfits in public parks in a northern state it controls, a state official has confirmed.

Muslim women look at a traditional clothing on display at a Ramadan bazaar in central Kuala Lumpur - Photo: AFP

A Chinese language daily on Wednesday 10 June published pictures of a park sign urging non-Muslim users to cover up in the PAS-ruled state of Kelantan.

"We just want to educate Muslims that they should wear clothes according to Islamic teachings and to the non-Muslims, we encourage them to respect each other in Kelantan," Takiyudin Hasan, the state cabinet minister in charge of local government, tourism and culture told AFP.

The signboard tells non-Muslim women to wear tops that have sleeves and which are long enough to cover the waist. Trousers have to be knee-length and there should be no skin-tight outfits, it says.

The local government does not have the legal power to enforce the ban, but previous recommendations it has made, including the banning of heavy make-up and high heels, have been widely obeyed.

Malaysia's 27 million population is dominated by Muslim Malays but also has large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities who have raised concerns over the rising "Islamisation" of the country.

PAS-ruled Kelantan has banned gambling, restricted the sale of alcohol and requires men and women to queue in separate lines at shops as part of its move towards a more "Islamic" way of life.