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July 7, 2007

Malaysia: Muslim Officials Object To Nightclub Singer's Blouse

Ipoh in Perak State, Malaysia, was in the news last November, when phone sms (text) messages were distributed, claiming a mass conversion of Muslims to Christianity was about to happen. The situation nearly led to mass violence, even though the messages were a hoax. A church - Our Lady of Lourdes in Silibin - was merely baptizing 98 children of Indian ethnic origin. A veiled Muslim woman, Raja Sherina, was later arrested for disseminating the sms messages.

Now, Ipoh and Perak state have hit the Malaysian headlines again, with a campaign against nightclub singer 22-year old Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin. She was originally arrested by members of the religious police (Perak Religious Department or JAIP) on Tuesday, July 3. The news is carried by Malaysia's Star and Reuters via Pakistan's Daily Times.

The religious police objected to her costume, claiming that too much of her back was exposed. The blouse she was wearing is shown below. "I was surprised when the officers told me this top was too revealing. Sometimes I wear something similar when I go out in the day. This is sexy? I don’t think so."

Siti Noor was arrested with four members of her band and three others. She said: "Our band had just finished and it was a little past midnight when they came in and rounded up all the Muslims. They asked to see our MyKad but one officer refused to touch the cards, referring to them as najis (unclean). They put us in a tiny room and turned up the air-conditioner. I heard one officer tell the other: Bekulah dia orang (Let them freeze)."

She was made to stay in one room until 10 am while males took photographs of her. At 8 am an interrogating official arrived. He apparently accused her of consuming alcohol and drugs, being involved in immoral activities, and that her MyKad (official identity card) was a fake.

Siti Noor claimed: "I took the breathalyzer test twice and when the reading remained at zero, the officers looked frustrated. I heard one tell the other: Tapi dia tak minum lah (But she did not drink)... They finally wrote me a notice accusing me of dressing sexily and encouraging immorality just because I sang there."

She claimed that: "When I passed the test, the female officers seemed disappointed and asked me to do it again. I did so willingly as I knew that I did not drink. Not once in my three years of singing in clubs have I drunk liquor."

Siti Noor was ordered to appear before the Syariah (sharia) Court in Ipoh on August 6, on a bond of 1,000 ringgit ($290). She claimed that the JAIP officers had maintained that the money she earned was "haram" and her family, parents included would be forever tainted by her actions.

The director of JAIP, Jamry Sury, said: "According to Islamic laws, a Muslim woman is not allowed to serve or entertain a man who is not her husband in a place where immoral activities usually take place." (This is a loose interpretation of "khalwat", the principle whereby a woman must not be in close company with a male to whom she is neither married nor a blood relation).

Yesterday Seri Harussani Zakaria, the Mufti of Perak state, made a statement condemning Muslims who worked in nightclubs, even if their role was only to be a cashier or clerk.

He said: "It is a sin for a Muslim, whether man or woman, to work in places that serve alcohol as they are considered to be abetting illicit activities." He said that even if Siti Noor had gained permission from her parents to sing at the club, it was a sin.

"If your parents told you that you could drive on the highway at 120kph, is it still right to do so? A Muslim should stay with her family or look after her children rather than be in these places drinking," he stated. He disputed that Siti Noor had been ordered to appear before a court. He claimed that she was only required to present herself before the JAIP.

Fortunately for Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin, she has gained some support. Nasharuddin Elias of the Malaysian Artistes Association (Karyawan) said that JAIP officials could have issued advisement to her, instead of saying she was earning illicit money. He said: "This is like piling pressure on her."

The NGO Sisters in Islam said that if Muslim men did not like Siti Noor's dress, they were ordered by the Koran to avert their gaze: "It is not the duty of the state to bring about a moral society to turn all incidence of 'bad dressing' into crimes against the state. It is obvious that many provisions of the Syariah Criminal Offences law are unenforceable as they intrude into issues that remain, for most Malaysians, in the realm of personal choice and fundamental liberty."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 7, 2007 6:47 PM

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Posted by: Sir Henry Morgan at July 9, 2007 4:00 AM

Posted by: Ruy Diaz at July 9, 2007 6:30 PM

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