PETALING JAYA, Aug 31 — “Bigots, racists, and extremists” are making it increasingly difficult to create a cohesive society out of Malaysia’s diverse communities, said Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup.

Drawing parallels with the complications faced by European nations — which are growing more complex as a result of an influx of ethnic minorities — Kurup said Malaysia is facing an equally challenging task.

“It is evident that in recent decades, the force unleashed by our ethnic mix have grown stronger.

“Our communities seem to have grown apart... our schools have become less diverse and our communities more polarised.

“This is not a problem we can ignore in the hope it will go away,” said the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department at the Merdeka Unity Devotional programme organised by the Bahá’í community here.

However, Kurup, who holds the national unity portfolio in the government, added that the frustration is caused by “a few bigots, racists and extremists”.

“I am optimistic the moderates, the silent majority, shall overcome the prevailing challenges for a better Malaysia,” he said.

Verbal sparring by politicians and several right-winged grassroots movement have dominated headlines in the past year lending rise to race and religious tension.

In May, Islamist group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) claimed the Chinese were intruders into Malay land, and had been brought by British colonialists to oppress Malays, adding that it was “a mistake” which must be rectified.

On July 14, a social media storm erupted after a video documenting a Malay woman verbally abusing an elderly Chinese man and hitting his car with a steering lock was uploaded on video-sharing site YouTube.

Swift action against Siti Fairrah Asyikin Kamaruddin — better known as Kiki — who pleaded guilty for the diatribe was sentenced to pay RM5,000 fine and 240-hours of community services for bullying, led critics to accuse the police of being bias in against ethnic Malays.