MUSLIMS who have attended the Good Vibes Festival (GVF) 2023 concert at the Sepang International Circuit in Selangor have been advised to seek forgiveness from God.
Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor Wan Salim said this is to express regret despite there being no element of sin in the Muslim festival-goers’ conduct as what happened at the GVF was unexpected.
Wan Salim was referring to an incident at GVF 2023 on Friday night (July 21) at the Sepang International Circuit, when the British band The 1975 frontman Matt Healy had launched into an expletive-riddled tirade against Malaysia’s anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) laws before kissing his male bandmate.
Healy also appeared to be drunk during the event, which was cut short by the organisers, while netizens claimed he had spat onstage, damaging a camera drone operated by the GVF crew.
According to Wan Salim, the Islamic religion has nothing against entertainment such as music concerts, dramas, and movies, but opposes and prohibits entertainment and other artistic works that may influence the minds and behaviour of the audience or fans.
“The disrespectful behavior displayed by the vocalist of the group The 1975, as well as his criticism of Malaysian laws through the concert, clearly shows that this group has a slanted intention towards Malaysia and the people who still support and respect pure moral values,” he said was quoted as saying by Harian Metro.
According to Wan Salim, it is inappropriate for a developing country with dynamic and progressive future generations to bring in foreign culture to the point of destroying moral values that are much needed for the country’s development and progress.
“The festival organisers have also promised that they will be fully responsible for the concert, so the Communications and Digital Ministry has the right to cancel it and they will not be held accountable,” he added.
On Saturday (July 22), Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil ordered the cancellation of the music festival’s two remaining nights. He also said the band had been blacklisted from performing in Malaysia.
The Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal) which is an agency under the Communications and Digital Ministry said it had filed a police report and had blacklisted the British band from performing in Malaysia. – July 24, 2023
Main pic credit: MyWilayah.com
