PERLIS mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has suggested that the Bon Odori festival in Malaysia be renamed to avoid any confusion with the original festival celebrated in Japan which contained elements of syirik (idolatry) and khurafat (superstition).
He said that organisers of the Bon Odori events in Malaysia should ensure that there are no religious elements in the event, in addition to there are no rituals representing specific beliefs.
“If possible, the Bon Odori festival should also be given a new name or an additional name to avoid confusion with the original festival,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
“For example, it can be called a ‘Japanese cultural festival’ or a ‘Japanese community festival’. By doing so, the festival can go on and arguments (regarding the festival’s controversies) can be reduced.”
Bon Odori is an annual dance event held during the Japanese Bon festival. Over the past three decades, the event has been held in Malaysia at various locations.
It is “a type of Japanese folk dance performed during the annual Buddhist festival called O-Bon (or simply Bon)”.
In the modern era, Bon Odori is mostly identified as a summertime dance festival, held annually throughout Japan as both entertainment and family reunion while preserving centuries-old Buddhist-rooted spiritual tradition to appease the souls of the deceased.
Bon Odori drew unexpected attention when national news agency Bernama reported Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad advising Muslims to not participate in the festival to be held at the Shah Alam Sports Complex in Selangor on July 16, claiming that it contains elements of other religions.
The PAS vice president cited a study conducted by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) that purportedly found religious elements in the Bon Odori festival that reportedly received negative reactions on social media, especially among Muslims in the country.
However, Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has instructed the Selangor Islamic religious department (JAIS) to allow the Bon Odori festival to proceed.
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had even called on Idris to attend the Bon Odori festival in Shah Alam to “understand the difference between religion and culture”.
In a Facebook post, His Highness said he did not want the minister to use the Islamic development department (JAKIM) to make “confusing and inaccurate statements which could negatively affect the image and reputation of the department”. – June 10, 2022
