State PAS chief summoned for audience with Selangor sultan

 

Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has summoned state PAS chief Ahmad Yunus Hairi for an audience today, according to the state royal office.

The state palace said in a Facebook post that the meeting at Istana Bukit Kayangan lasted about an hour. Details of the meeting were not revealed.

The audience at Istana Bukit Kayangan today followed Yunus’ June 10 call to bar Muslims from taking part in the Bon Odori festival.

Previously, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad told Muslims not to attend Bon Odori, claiming that the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia had researched Bon Odori and believed that it would lead Muslims astray.

Sultan Sharafuddin, however, disagreed with the minister’s view that the event was religious in nature and asked Idris to attend the event himself.

Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah

The sultan had already instructed the Selangor Islamic Religious Department yesterday not to obstruct the event which will be held at the Shah Alam National Sports Complex on July 16.

The Bon Odori is a dance during the Bon festival - which honours the spirits of ancestors and has roots in Buddhism and Shinto.

The dance itself is originally meant to welcome the spirits of said ancestors.

However, outside of Japan, the event has largely been stripped of religious connotations.

The Bon Odori has been organised in Malaysia since 1977 by Japanese expatriates.

The event in Selangor - touted as the largest outside Japan - is jointly organised by the Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur, the Japanese School of Kuala Lumpur, and the Japanese Embassy, with support from the state government. - Mkini