By Zareef Muzammil
SHAH ALAM, June 8 — His Royal Highness the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj has decreed the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) not to obstruct the Bon Odori Festival programme at the Panasonic National Sports Complex on July 16.
Jais director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad said Sultan Sharafuddin also decreed for Jais to not prevent any individuals from attending the event.
“His Royal Highness the Sultan did not consent to any decision or ruling on such a matter to be hastily concluded without in-depth study and scrutiny, and is of the stance that many cultures have religious connections, but that religion is not necessarily always found in culture.
“His Royal Highness also insisted that practising something is different from merely spectating or observing,” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Shahzihan added that Sultan Sharafuddin is not worried that the Muslims attending the programme will lose their way and engage in practices contrary to Sunni Islam if their religious principles are strong.
His Royal Highness will also decree that Jais and Shah Alam City Council personnel attending the programme conduct just and fair evaluations.
“His Royal Highness has personally attended the programme several years before and has now found anything that could damage the religious principles of Muslims, as it is a social programme for the personnel of Japanese industrial companies, many of which are in Selangor,” he said.
On June 6, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad reminded Muslims to not participate in programmes that run contrary to Islamic religious beliefs, which included the Bon Odori Festival.
He added that research by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has indicated the programme contains religious elements that contradict Islam.
