The comments by the Parti Perpaduan Kebangsaan Brunei (National Solidarity Party) followed similar criticisms from some officials and groups in neighbouring Malaysia, which like Brunei is a largely Muslim country.

"Religious attires do not contribute to social disharmony and disunity and the wearing of headscarves definitely does not contribute to social disintegration," said party president Mohamad Hatta bin Zainal Abidin.

He said that Singapore has been tolerant of Sikhs, Roman Catholic nuns and Buddhist monks donning their religious attire and asked that the city-state relaxed its policy on Muslim girls in school.

The party is preparing an "objection letter," he added.

Singapore, a majority ethnic Chinese nation with large Malay Muslim and Indian communities, on Monday suspended two seven-year-old girls after they attended classes wearing headscarves in defiance of a government ban on wearing them while in school.

The government imposes a strict uniform code in its schools in an effort to maintain racial harmony in the ethnically diverse nation still haunted by the memory of racial riots in the 1960s.

Muslim girls, however, are allowed to wear the headgear, known as tudung, outside of the school premises. The two girls will be readmitted to school once they comply with the rules.

A third girl has stopped coming to school and a fourth was given until February 11 to comply with the rule.

In Brunei, Muslim girls are required to wear headscarves in school, while non-Muslims are not.

Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has urged Singaporeans to reject foreign intervention on racial and religious issues.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Malaysian Deputy Education Minister Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz of interfering in domestic affairs for his comments on the headscarf issue.

Malaysian political parties have also made similar critical comments.

In a statement published on Wednesday, the youth wing of Singapore's ruling People's Action Party said it "deeply regrets" the remarks from Malaysia, pointing out that the two are independent nations.

"As an independent Republic, Singapore must be allowed to conduct ongoing discussions among Singaporeans within the context of national integration and social cohesion without any external interference," said the statement quoted in the Straits Times.

Singapore was kicked out of the Malaysian Federation in 1965.

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