A nondescript classified advertisement in the Wednesday edition of The Times of India, Bangalore, calling for applications for sundry jobs at an army maintenance base in Kuwait from 'non-Muslims only' has caused a stir.

The single-column advertisement under the 'Gulf' slug indicated prominently that only non-Muslims need apply for the posts of forklift operators, storekeepers, clerk typists, security guards and drivers.

The advertisement said the applicants must be able to converse in English and below 35 years in age.

The applicants were asked to contact a local recruiting agency, Rehman Enterprises, with relevant documents for an interview on March 31. It, however, did not specify the army base in Kuwait.

According to Abdul Rahman of the agency, the recruitment was being done for a Kuwaiti company, Marafi, which has a 'maintenance contract' with the United States Army.

He said the advertisement has caused a stir in the minority community as it signals the US bias against Muslims in the post-September 11 period. "I have been directed by my agency to put off the scheduled interviews."

The advertisement is considered unusual as Indian newspapers have been carrying similar ones for overseas appointments in the Gulf region often specifying 'Muslim candidates preferred'.

Rehman said the bar on Muslim candidates was prescribed by the Kuwaiti company through its nodal agency Continental Merchantile based at Cochin in Kerala.

Rehman said the controversy is unnecessary and could have been avoided. "The US officials manning the army base have made it clear that we should process applications sent in by non-Muslims only," he said.

Asked what has been the response so far to the advertisement, Rahman said not many. He declined to comment whether his agency was asked to also profile the prospective applicants for screening.

US fears about employing Muslims have been heightened with the attack on fellow marines in the war zone by a person described as a disaffected Muslim during the one-week-old war.