KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Malaysian federal Islamic authorities have confirmed it distributed controversial anti-homosexuality flyers on Valentine’s Day, but said it was to promote healthy living and reduce the spread of HIV among Muslims.

The Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) also pointed out that it has been giving out the flyers — which contained similar content to a US-based Christian campaign — for the past two years, and that there are no plans to stop doing so.

“Our reason to distribute the flyers was as a guide for Muslims to practise a healthy lifestyle, and Muslims are prohibited from having same-sex relationships because it is obviously forbidden by the religion.

“In addition, it was to prevent the spread of HIV virus among Muslims. That is the reason why we must abandon this unhealthy way of life,” Jakim’s director-general Datuk Othman Mustapha told Malay Mail Online in a brief statement.

It is understood that the flyers were distributed publicly by volunteers supervised by Jakim staff members.

Snapshots of the controversial flyer have been circulating on social media, including Whatsapp, which came to Malay Mail Online’s attention last Sunday.

Titled “10 myths about homosexuality”, the flyer claimed homosexuals are not seriously disadvantaged by discrimination as they have higher levels of education.

The flyer also alleged that homosexual couples are less faithful and face more domestic violence than heterosexual counterparts.

The flyer did not state the source of its facts or the studies that back their assertions.

The statements in the Valentine’s Day flyer, however, were strikingly similar to a 2010 brochure also titled “ The top ten myths about homosexuality” by a group called Family Research Council (FRC).

FRC is a United States-based conservative Christian lobby group founded in 1983 that is against gay rights, abortion, divorce, embryonic stem-cell research and pornography.

Jakim’s flyer also carried US-centric points, such as insisting that homosexuals comprise less than 3 per cent of the US population, and described provisions contained in the US constitution.

Muslim-majority Malaysia continues to reject the perceived rise in LGBT activity, which together with growing calls for greater civil liberties, they deem to be an assault against Islam.