“Kepci Music Fest violated Shariah Law,” claims Zuraida

“Kepci Music Fest violated Shariah Law,” claims Zuraida

MUAFAKAT Nasional (MN) deputy president Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin said the Kepci Music Fest 2023 was not in line with the cultural norms of the Eastern people as there was a mixing of unrelated men and women as well as dance performances on the stage.

According to the former PKR leader, the situation was exacerbated by the fact that tahfiz students who were in the process of memorising the Holy Quran were also involved in such “inappropriate activities”.

Zuraida was referring to the group of tahfiz students from Madrasah Watahfiz Al-Quran Rohingya Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) Jaya on Saturday (Aug 26) who had also attended the concert.

“Personally, I am not opposed to any form of entertainment as long as it does not go against Islamic principles or Shariah law,” the former Ampang MP said in a statement today (Aug 30).

“However, as Muslims, we should make an effort to choose a form of entertainment that is compatible with our religion and beliefs while without exceeding the boundaries set out by Allah S.W.T.

“What we saw in the recent concert is clearly not in accordance with Islamic Shariah, where there is a mix of men and women, as well as the dance performances on stage, which are not compatible, not only with the teachings of Islam, but also with our cultural customs as easterners.

“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.”

Zuraida, who is also former PKR vice president, felt that local authorities that provide public entertainment licences should be involved in reviewing every plan or proposal made by the organisers of such events.

“The application for a temporary entertainment licence should be regulated even more, with not only the tentative event being notified to the authorities, but also the invited guests being informed,” she pointed out.

“I strongly hope that this does not happen again, when tahfiz or religious school pupils and Muslim orphans are dragged to meaningless programmes that can have a negative impact on them.” – Aug 30, 2023