THE Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) and other relevant religious authorities can now initiate legal action against PAS Youth – if they wish to – over the movement’s incessant threat of a nationwide protest if the Government does not cancel international concerts.
This is because a precedent has been set in Saudi Arabia – the country Malaysia endears itself most to when emulating religious-related policies and culture.
For condemning concerts and events that he said broke away from the country’s religious and cultural norms, prominent former imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca Sheikh Saleh al Talib has to pay the price by serving a 10-year jail term by a Saudi court in Riyadh, according to US-based rights group Democracy for the Arab World Now.
The sentence came about after the Specialised Criminal Appeals Court overturned a previous acquittal.
Conveniently forgetting that Malaysia is a secular state although Islam is the official religion, PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has claimed on Aug 25 that music concerts spread a “culture of hedonism” and go against “the norms and values of Muslim life” in Malaysia.
If the call is ignored, the Pasir Mas MP warned that PAS Youth will not hesitate to mobilise a “nationwide protest”.
Saudi authorities first detained Saleh in 2018 – without explanation – after he delivered a sermon criticising the General Entertainment Authority, a government body in charge of regulating the entertainment industry, according to activist group, Middle East Eye.
His arrest came at a time when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was implementing reforms of Saudi society while diversifying the economy of the Gulf kingdom.
In fact, rights groups claimed that Saudi authorities have also arrested numerous prominent clerics and imams who opposed to MBS’s reform agenda.
In his public sermon, the imam has condemned concerts and entertainment-related events as violating Saudi Arabia’s religious and cultural norms.
Saleh’s sermons and Quran recitations on YouTube have thousands of followers from all over the world. – Aug 29, 2022
