KUALA LUMPUR (Ruptly) — Thousands of Muslims held a rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, demanding protection of their rights against the backdrop of increasing racial tensions in the multi-ethnic country, reports suggest.

What was reportedly meant to be a protest against the government’s intentions to ratify a UN convention against racial discrimination, turned out to be a peaceful rally organised by several Muslim groups calling for the protection of the position of Muslims in the country.

The protesters marched in the Malaysian capital, wearing white outfit, praying, and chanting against UN’s International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

The Muslim Malay majority of the country has been raising concerns about what they interpret as the new government being ’more representative of minorities’, such as the sizeable ethnic Chinese and Indian communities.