KUALA LUMPUR -- Several non-Muslim restaurants here have been warned by Malaysia's Religious Affairs Department not to display verses of the Qoran on their walls to attract Muslim customers.

Some even hired Indonesian workers to give the impression they were indeed serving halal food, the Malay-language afternoon tabloid ***Harian Metro*** reported.

It said the establishments put up the verses to "cloud" the minds of Muslim patrons into thinking they served Muslim-style halal food when they were not.

Johor Religious Affairs Department Chief Wahid Dahlan said such actions were deceptive, especially if they were just aimed at attracting more patrons.

"Since last June, we have taken action against six non-Muslim restaurants for misusing verses of the Qoran.

"The public is genuinely deceived by their actions which are done purely out of commercial reasons," he said.

He appealed to people to report the matter if they had doubts about a restaurant's status. He added that some operators were hiring Indonesian workers to supplement their "ruse."

"Such actions reflect a bad attitude, especially toward the Muslim community.

"We will start by giving these owners counseling on the matter to avoid any confusion," he said.

Action would be taken against them if they continued to flout the regulations, he warned.