Where is the youthful spirit in PAS Youth leaders? They act more like grumpy, ill-tempered old men than young adults who are full of energy, vision, spirit and vitality.
Objecting to the proposed opening of a cinema in a Kota Baru shopping mall, Kelantan PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari said last week that the presence of cinemas would be bad for Kelantan’s Islamic image and that watching films would worsen social ills in the state.
When PAS was installed as the ruling party in Kelantan in 1990, shopping malls closed the cinemas that they housed but continued to maintain spaces that cinema operators could utilise if the authorities were to reverse their decision.
Despite Fadhli’s outburst, Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah was quoted in a news report as saying that the state would entertain applications from cinema operators provided they adhered to the strict conditions laid down by the licensing department. These included gender-segregated seating and restricted viewing periods to accommodate the night prayer times.
The segregation rule is upsetting families who want to enjoy watching movies together. Is PAS really a family friendly party?
Social pundits have claimed that the “social ills” associated with the male population of Kelantan are self inflicted. Men nip across the border to have their fun. There is a ready supply of counterfeit goods, including movies, in Kelantan. The authorities are consumed with concern over the dress code of the female population, but ignore the drug taking and incestuous relationships happening before their eyes.
A few days ago, PAS Youth called on the government to ban Selena Gomez’s concert, saying her raunchy act and sexy demeanour would tarnish the Muslim month of Syawwal.
The shallowness of PAS Youth is mind-boggling. Will Gomez’s performance be alright in the other months of the Muslim calender? There must be something wrong with PAS Youth members if they are magnetised by a woman’s sexy performance, but are blind to the open theft of taxpayers’ money and abuses of power by people in authority.
A PAS Youth official, Hafez Sabri, said Gomez’s concert would promote hedonism among youths. He has urged the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (JAIS) to lodge a protest against the concert.
It’s interesting that according to a news report, the Muslim-dominant states of Kelantan and Terengganu have the highest incidence of online porn viewing in Malaysia. This seems to show that Muslims will ignore the advice of hardline ulamas.
People from Kelantan consider “budu”, a fermented fish dish, to be a delicacy. Some people love it while others are turned off by its vile appearance and odour. But it shouldn’t be excluded from the menu just because it has its detractors.
Similarly, people should not be prevented from watching Gomez perform just because she’s not PAS’s cup of tea.
Grow up, PAS Youth. Live life to the fullest. Not everything can go your way.
Mariam Mokhtar is an FMT columnist.
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