Bon Odori is a cultural festival, says Selangor sultan after minister tells Muslims to avoid the event
Bon Odori is a popular event held annually in Shah Alam, Selangor. (Photo: Facebook/Embassy of Japan in Malaysia)
SHAH ALAM: The Japanese Bon Odori festival in Malaysia is only celebrated as a cultural festival meant to strengthen the goodwill between the peoples of the two countries, said Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on Thursday (Jun 9).
His comments came amid calls urging Muslims in Malaysia to stay away from the event as it contained elements of other religions.
A media statement posted on the Facebook account of the Selangor Royal Office quoted the ruler as saying that Bon Odori is more to promote Japanese traditional culture, especially dances, drum performances and Japanese food.
It is also a festival to bring together families and friends who have not met for some time, said the sultan.
He noted that Bon Odori has grown popular in Malaysia, as more Japanese firms have been investing in Malaysia and opening their factories in Selangor.
“Bon Odori then developed into a platform to introduce the Japanese entertaining culture and at the same time, strengthen the ties between peoples of the two countries,” said the statement.
The sultan recounted that he had attended such a festival in Malaysia in 2016. He said that based on his observations, there were no religious rituals that could undermine the faith of anyone watching it.
Earlier this week, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Ahmad said that Muslims should not participate in the festival on religious grounds.
“Bon Odori is a Japanese Buddhist festival to honour the spirit of their ancestors,” said Mr Idris who is the de-facto religious affairs minister, according to a Bernama report.
He added that research by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) had found that the Bon Odori Festival programme did contain elements of other religions.
Malaysian Islamic Missionary Trust (YADIM), a government agency under the Prime Minister’s Department, also weighed in on the issue.
It said that Muslims should not participate in any celebrations of other religious groups that involve the issues of faith and creeds, including Bon Odori, according to YADIM’s statement which was reported by Utusan Malaysia.
The Thursday statement said the Selangor sultan had ordered officials from Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) and Shah Alam City Council to attend the festival to witness for themselves what actually takes place at such an event.
He also suggested that Mr Idris should attend the festival in Shah Alam, so as to help him better understand the difference between religion and culture.
“The sultan does not want to see anyone, especially politicians, use issues that touch on religious sensitivities for their personal interest in order to gain popularity.
“The sultan urged them to refrain from labelling anything as negative without any deep research. They also need to be fair in making any public statements that can affect social harmony,” the statement said.
He also urged Mr Idris to refrain from using platforms such as JAKIM to make any “misleading and inaccurate” statements that could affect the reputation of the department.
SELANGOR RELIGIOUS DEPARTMENT WILL NOT STOP PEOPLE FROM ATTENDING EVENT
On Wednesday, JAIS wrote in a statement that it would not stop any individual from attending the Bon Odori event, which will be held at the Shah Alam National Sports Complex on Jul 16.
JAIS Director Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad said that the decision was made after a meeting with the Selangor sultan, during which the ruler said that he did not consent to any decision that would bar Muslims from participating in the festival.
Mr Mohd Shahzihan said that the sultan viewed the Bon Odori festival, which has been celebrated in Malaysia for decades, as only a cultural event.
"His Royal Highness is of the opinion that many cultures have links with religion but religion need not necessarily be present in a culture,” said Mr Mohd Shahzihan, adding that the sultan also stated that watching something is different from practising it.
"His Royal Highness is also not worried because if the faith of Muslims is strong and true, they will not be convinced into practising anything that is contrary to the creed of Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama'ah (main Islamic creed in Malaysia)," he added.
