KUALA LUMPUR: Even as Malaysia hosted a high-profile international Islamic fashion festival this week, the spotlight was on how this country hopes to balance conservative religious traditions with contemporary views, after the Muslim authorities recently decreed that even a woman's fashion sense can endanger her faith.

While the government-backed four-day Islamic Fashion Festival aimed to showcase Islamic fashion that was stylish while not compromising on modesty, some of the designs included loose pants for women.

Wearing such apparently manly outfits could prove a minefield in Malaysia, as its top Islamic council recently decreed that tomboyish behaviour was forbidden in Islam. The ban, aimed at preventing lesbian sex, included 'dressing in clothes men wear'.

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