KUALA LUMPUR – PAS’ contentious treatment of the Bon Odori festival is similar to the Islamic party’s action against the Mak Yong dance that saw the tradition ban from the public stage for decades, said Sister In Islam (SIS).
In a statement today, SIS has lambasted PAS and other related parties for overextending their moral policing of Muslims attending cultural events
“Let’s face it. Islamic religious political parties, authorities and figures in Malaysia have a problem with cultural traditions and practices, whether it’s others or ours.
“In 1991, PAS, the government of the state of Kelantan, declared that the Mak Yong has elements of superstition and worship and, therefore, haram.
“It wasn’t until 2019 that the Mak Yong was performed after almost 30 years of being banned from the public stage.
“Even then, women were still prohibited from performing the Mak Yong, its content and dialogue modified supposedly in compliance to Syariah as warranted by the Kelantan state government,” said the statement.
SIS further stated that despite the “Islamisation” process within all aspects of Malaysian life, the authorities are still supposedly adamant in their actions to guard the actions and thoughts of fellow Muslims.
“For a country that is intensely going through an Islamisation process in the political, legal, public and private domain, PAS, Jakim, and religious figures are still not confident that Muslims in Malaysia can discern between their faith and appreciation of cultural practices, performances and festivals.
“In essence, it seems that Muslims in Malaysia must be policed at all times, in thought and practice, because they cannot nor should not make these distinctions for themselves, consciously or subconsciously.
“Only PAS and Jakim know what is best for us Muslims in Malaysia,” said the statement.
This comes after a statement by the religious affairs minister Datuk Idris Ahmad for Muslims to avoid the Japanese festival, arguing that the festival has other religious elements.
Penang Mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor also shares the same sentiments as Idris while Perlis Mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin had even suggested for the organisers to rebrand the festival to avoid further confusion.
In a sharp retort, Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had warned that he does not want certain parties, especially politicians, to use issues linked to religious sensitivities for personal gain and popularity.
The state ruler had even called upon Idris to visit the festival and to “understand the difference between religion and culture”.
Despite this, the PAS Ulama Council and its women’s wing had since come out in support of Idris, alleging that attending the event could damage the akidah (creed) of Muslims.
While SIS welcomes the decree by the Selangor Sultan, the group cautioned that depending on the royal institution to instil moderation is unsustainable.
“The Selangor Sultan’s decree for the Bon Odori festival to proceed as planned is welcomed with relief.
“Nevertheless, this constant reliance on the monarchy to bring moderation of views and decisions by religious parties and authorities is unhealthy and unsustainable in the long run in a country that claims to promote democracy and tolerance of diversity and differences but whose people are expected to fall in line when authority speaks.
“Despite the royal decree, PAS still calls for Muslims to stay away from the festival.
“It raises the question of which authority will prevail in the cacophony of voices of authorities.
“Is living in a democratic country limited to only voting in the elections, and the rest of the time, we heed the voice that is the loudest or wields more political or social power?''
With fellow Malaysians dealing with a multitude of economic woes, SIS suggested for the relevant authorities to look into solving these issues first without jeopardising national unity.
“The statements by the religious minister, PAS and the muftis of Penang and Perlis continue to promote intolerance and bigotry in a plural and multicultural society. Islam should not be made the cause of difficulty for Muslims to co-exist with people of different faiths, beliefs and cultures. Inclusivity is one of the important traits for living in a harmonious multicultural setting.
“For the past two years, Malaysians have been inundated with the challenges of political and economic instability, the Covid-19 pandemic, food security and climate change issues, to name a few.
“On top of all these sufferings, can we just for once not waste our time, energy and intellectual capacities on these bigoted decisions that we didn’t ask for that aim to divide and tarnish the values of inclusiveness we have in our society,”' SIS added. – The Vibes, June 11, 2022
