PETALING JAYA – It is now the Mid-Autumn Festival which the Chinese community also calls the Mooncake Festival.
Being a multi-racial country, most Malaysians are familiar with the mooncake season as many shopping malls will mark the festival with events and promotions.
The same is happening at the Toppen Mall in Johor Baru where the Malaysian Falun Dafa Tian Guo Marching Band was invited to perform to welcome the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Based on Facebook posts, the band performed in a parade around the mall last weekend.
A TikTok user who recorded a short clip of the parade however alleged that “a new religion from China has entered Malaysia”.
User @maidahasni made the allegation, saying the “new religion” was parading around Toppen.
@maidaputera sudahh masuk malaysia bahaya molekk #moncoue #moncoueskincare ♬ original sound - maidahasni
Another user pointed out in the comments section that it was the mooncake festival, to which another user said: “Slander is everywhere these days.”
“What do you mean religion? Isn’t that a marching band performance, what is the problem, there are also other bands performing at shopping malls,” said @manisnyaepal.
What is Falun Dafa?
The spiritual practice movement came about in the 1990s combining meditation and qigong exercises with a moral philosophy.
To say they are new here would be erroneous as the group has been in Malaysia since the mid-90s.
The movement has been banned in China since 1999. – The Vibes, September 29, 2023
