By Jonathan Kent In Kuala Lumpur

The government of the Malaysian state of Kelantan has announced a ban on performances by women and by all pop and rock groups.

Malaysia's Islamic opposition party, PAS, which controls the north-eastern state, says the move is intended to halt moral decay among young people.

The ban comes into force from Thursday.

The state government intends to withhold entertainment licences from all pop and rock groups. Female artists will only be allowed to perform before all-female audiences.

The state government says it is concerned about the moral state of the younger generation, who it believes could be corrupted by provocatively-dressed women, and by the lifestyle represented by rock groups.

Saucy video

The Malaysian National Artists Association told the BBC it intended to fight the move. Its director said he was trying to arrange a meeting with the state's chief minister, Nik Aziz, and hoped to change his mind.

The state government says traditional Islamic music will be allowed, but the Artists Association says most performers will be forced to work outside the state.

The national government in Malaysia, where the majority of people are Muslim, also censors certain performances, though to a far lesser extent.

Earlier this year, a video by the Australian singer, Kylie Minogue, was banned, apparently because the censor decided the film focused too much on the star's bottom.

Foreign groups are required to submit recordings before applying for performance licences and television programmes are also regularly censored for language.