PUTRAJAYA: The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) has called on the authorities to bar American metal band, Lamb of God from performing in the country next month.
Its director general Datuk Othman Mustapha said the band, from Virginia that was headlining the Rockaway Festival at a venue in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 28, had blasphemous elements.
“Lamb of God had drawn many controversies and was dubbed a “satanic” band that fitted evil spirituality and anti-godliness even by the Christian community,” he said in a statement today.
Responding to an outcry raised by an NGO over the band’s scheduled performance, Othman said there were many examples of the band’s references that showed their usage of religion and divinity in their music and lyrics.
“The name Lamb of God also referred to Jesus that Christians referred to as the son of god,” he said.
The department claimed the band had aired Quranic verses during their performances in the United States previously and had suggestive song titles such as Walk With Me In Hell, Sacrament, Resurrection.
He said the band’s New American Gospel album, which was released in 2000, opposed Islamic Syariat (Sharia) and morals.
“The organising of such events do not only corrode morality but also the faith of Muslims,
“Performances by heavy metal outfits that were often extreme also encouraged its audience to lose control,” he said, adding that the entry of such bands also promoted the Black Metal genre that the government had opposed.
He said the department hoped the authorities involved would not approve the permit to allow the band to perform.
It was reported yesterday that Ikatan Rakyat Insan Muslim Malaysia (Irimm) president Amir Amsaa Alla Pitchay had raised the issue and will submit a memorandum to various ministries to ban Lamb of God.
- nst.com.my
FirstBourne Thanks for the Blog,
ReplyDeleteFirstBoure is a five piece arena rock/power metal band from Boston, MA with guitarist Mike Kerr, vocalist Adrienne Cowan, bassist Ven Thangaraj & guitarist Jimmy Olivera