A Malaysian TV station said it has withdrawn an advertisement marking the Muslim festival of Eid al Fitr after the ad's Christmas-like theme was criticized for being un-Islamic.

The private TV3 channel began airing the one-minute commercial marking the end of the Ramadan fasting month. The ad showed a man wearing an Islamic skullcap taking children on a magical rickshaw for a ride through the sky.

But some viewers in Malaysia said the character was reminiscent of Santa Claus, and several groups demanded that the ad be retracted. There was also criticism that the ad featured a lotus flower, which is linked to Buddhism.

TV3 apologizes on the airing of the advertisement ... which has offended many people, the station said in a statement, adding that it had been taken off the air. We will be more cautious to avoid similar incidents ... in the future.

Two Algerian Christians have been tried for breaking Ramadan fasting rules, with hundreds of people protesting outside the courtroom against judicial authorities.

Hocine Hocini and Salem Fellak were arrested on August 13 on the building site where they worked in the northern region of Kabylie after they were spotted eating lunch, which they admit to doing but insist happened in a discreet place.

Muslims are not allowed to eat during daylight hours during the Ramadan holy month, and in Algeria breaking the fast can be punished with three months in jail.

Hocini said: We are innocent, and we haven't done any harm to anyone, he said. We are Christians and we have not eaten in a public place, he said.

Hundreds of people supporting the two accused gathered outside the court at Ain el Hammam to support the defendants and shouted slogans against the legal system.

The verdict is due on October 5.

Update: Acquitted

8th October 2010. Based on article from christianpost.com

The judge at the court in Ain El Hamman dismissed the case since no article [of law] provided for a legal pursuit against the two Christians, according to the BBC.

Two Indonesian women have been caned for selling food during the Muslim festival of Ramadan

Hundreds of people gathered to watch as Murni Amris, 27, received three lashes and Rukiah Abdullah, 22, received two at a mosque in the city of Jantho, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

The two women were found selling rice in a stall at noon during Ramadan. The sharia forbids selling food during fasting hours at Ramadan, said Marzuki Abdullah, Aceh's sharia police head.

Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, is one of several areas of Muslim-majority Indonesia where Islamic sharia laws have been adopted.