Concert violates Islamic law, not suitable for Eastern culture - Zuraida

SHAH ALAM - The Kepci Music Fest 2023 concert held last Saturday clearly violated Islamic law and was not in line with the cultural norms of the Eastern people, in which there was mixing of unrelated men and women as well as dance performances on the stage.

This has been stated by the Muafakat Nasional deputy president Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, who claims that this situation became even more serious when tahfiz students who were in the process of memorising the Holy Quran were also involved in such inappropriate activities.

She said that in general, any form of entertainment is not rejected as long as it adheres to Islamic teachings and laws.

"However, as Muslims, we should be able to choose forms of entertainment that are in line with our religion and beliefs without crossing the boundaries set by Allah SWT.

"Therefore, it is appropriate for directors, headmasters, or managers of tahfiz centres and Muslim orphanages to be sensitive to every invitation they receive, as it is feared that it could have a negative impact on the character development of the students under their care," she stated in a statement on Wednesday.

Recently, a video went viral on social media showing a group of tahfiz students at the Kepci Music Fest 2023 concert.

This matter has sparked debate among parents and received various reactions from netizens.

Zuraida believes that Local Authorities (PBT) issuing public entertainment licences should play a role in reviewing every plan or proposal made by the organisers of such entertainment events.

"The application for temporary entertainment licences should be tightened further, not only by reporting the event's schedule to the authorities but also by informing them of the list of invited guests.

"I truly hope that this will not happen again, where tahfiz students and Muslim orphans are not taken to frivolous programmes," she explained.