Is Bon Odori Religious? Selangor Sultan Says No Amid JAIS Row

by W

in All, Malaysia, News

Reading Time: 3 mins read

The Sultan of Selangor has stepped in amid heated discussion around the Bon Odori summer celebrations held in Shah Alam caused by Selangor Islamic Religious Department ( JAIS ).

According to The Malay Mail, His Royal Highness summoned the director of JAIS, where he decreed that contrary to their own assumptions, the festival was not a ploy to convert Muslims.

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“His Highness attended the event several years ago and did not find any elements that could erode Muslim beliefs, as it is just a social event involving Japanese businesses and their employees in Selangor,” he said in a statement.

“His Highness is of the view that many cultures have links with religion, but not necessarily is religion part of a culture”, the statement continues.“His Highness also stressed that the act of worship is different from the act of observation”.

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Celebrating The Right To Celebrate

Bon Odori Malaysia JAIS — Image Credit: Embassy of Japan In Malaysia

On the internet, many have praised the Sultan of Selangor’s intervention, amid what appears to be JAIS and key conservative figures suddenly realizing that Malaysia had been holding the celebration since the 1970s.

“Why on earth tetiba(TL: suddenly) JAIS nak halang (TL: wants to stop) Bon Odori? I mean, it’s held in Panasonic Stadium for like more than a decade. Credit where it’s due to His Majesty the Sultan to allow it to proceed”, says Twitter user Hanif Azid.

The row itself has set off another chapter in the ongoing culture war between religious authorities and ordinary Malaysians, who are more than happy to make time in their schedule to rub it in when JAIS screws up by celebrating Bon Odori.

“I’m not even going to Bon Odori before this. I’m tempting to go to this year simply just to piss off JAIS“, writes Twitter user ak47suk1

Of course, it wasn’t just state-level authority condemning the festival. In prior days the same sentiment was also echoed by JAIS’ national level counterpart, JAKIM, as well as Religious Affairs ministers.

“A study conducted by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) found that the festival does have religious elements, so we advise Muslims not to participate in it”, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad.

Considering the cultural role of Bon Odori as celebrating the diplomatic ties between Japan and Malaysia, some, like lawyer Azira Aziz are simply happy this didn’t evolve into a potentially international incident.

“The lesson from Bon Odori festival is that as senior civil servants/holders of public office you must go down & understand the thing you are condemning before making erroneous statements. It could’ve cost us goodwill w/ Japan and our business/trade relationship”, she says.

While it’s all fun and good to attend a cultural festival though, there’s an important to reminder that Japanese culture and Cosplay are separate things, and to do actually respect the culture by not viewing it as just another convention.