Sydney  - Australia's 250,000 Muslims complained of discrimination Saturday after laws were proposed banning shops from opening at Christmas and Easter to give retail staff more family time.

Islamic Friendship Association head Keysar Trad said all religious holidays should be covered not just some of them.

"It does give the impression that we are a solely Christian nation and it raises the issue of other religions too, whether you are Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim," he said. "There are only two Muslim public holidays, so it's not a lot to ask."

A spokesman for the New South Wales state government said that although the proposed holidays were Christian-oriented, the new law was not about religion but "about allowing workers to spend time with their families." (dpa)