Saturday July 7, 2007
IPOH: Muslims should not work in nightclubs, not even as clerks or cashiers, Perak Mufti Datuk Seri Harussani Zakaria said yesterday.
He said this also applied to places where immoral activities were likely to take place, such as massage parlours and entertainment outlets.
“It is a sin for a Muslim, whether man or woman, to work in places that serve alcohol as they are considered to be abetting illicit activities,” he said yesterday.
He was commenting on the case of nightclub singer Siti Noor Idayu Abd Moin, 22, who was detained by the Perak Religious Department (JAIP) at a nightclub in Tambun here on Tuesday.
The department had ordered the singer to explain why she had “exposed her body” during a performance and “encouraged immoral activities” by working at that outlet.
However, Siti Noor Idayu said she was not even drinking and was wearing a white sleeveless top and long pants when JAIP officers raided the nightclub.
Harussani said even if Siti Noor Idayu had her parents’ consent to work at the entertainment outlet, it was still a sin.
“If your parents told you that you could drive on the highway at 120kph, is it still right to do so?
“A Muslim should stay with her family or look after her children rather than be in these places drinking,” he said.
JAIP director Datuk Jamry Sury clarified that Siti Noor Idayu was only asked to appear before the department on Aug 6 to explain herself, and not before a Syariah Court as claimed.
However, he declined to comment on whether the department would drop the charges against Siti Noor Idayu.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Artistes Association (Karyawan) deputy president Nasharuddin Elias said religious officers could advise Siti Noor Idayu instead of saying that she was earning illicit money.
“This is like piling pressure on her,” Nasharuddin, better known as Nash from the classic rock band Lefthanded, said.
He added that she was only earning money by using her talent.
Non-governmental organisation Sisters in Islam said in a statement that if Muslim men were offended by the sight of Siti Noor Idayu’s dress, then the Quran commanded them to lower their gaze and guard their own modesty.
“It is not the duty of the state to bring about a moral society to turn all incidence of 'bad dressing' into crimes against the state.
“It is obvious that many provisions of the Syariah Criminal Offences law are unenforceable as they intrude into issues that remain, for most Malaysians, in the realm of personal choice and fundamental liberty,” it said.
No comments:
Post a Comment