Women in Malaysia - long seen as a moderate Islamic nation - have been denied entry to government buildings on the grounds their skirts were too revealing, fanning fears of growing conservatism in a country with large non-Muslim minorities.

Prime Minister Najib Razak's reluctance to intervene in the sudden enforcement of a dress code, analysts say, shows the liberal-minded leader is unwilling to stand up to conservatives at a time when he is battling allegations of corruption.

Ethnic sensitivities can often trigger disputes in Malaysia, particularly as none of those criticized for their clothes was from the Muslim Malay community that accounts for two-thirds of a population of about 30 million. Ethnic Chinese number 25 percent, and Indians about 7 percent.