|
Malaysia May Ban Hindi Movies for Bad Influence on Muslims
By
Kazi Mahmood, IOL South East Asia Correspondent
KUALA
LUMPUR, October 3 (IslamOnline) - Malaysia may ban Hindi movies for
their bad cultural influence on some sections of the Malay-Muslim
population, a source from the local religious authorities said
Thursday, October 3.
The
ban may be imposed on some Hindi movies too religious in nature and
which portray aspects of Hinduism that have a certain influence on
Malays, the source said.
The
local religious authorities or the JAIS (Malaysia Islamic Enforcement
Agency) is said to have investigated reports that a section of the
Muslim community were adopting Hindu wedding rites and rituals shown
in movies. One such case was exposed a few months ago when local Malay
newspapers reported that a Malay couple were married according to
Hindu rituals, with the bride and groom tied to each other after which
they encircle a fire place.
This
sparked criticism from various circles and the authorities were told
to take actions to prevent such happenings. It is, however, unclear
whether the Home Ministry will issue a ban on some movies or will
simply censor scenes of bad influence to the public in general.
The
issue is, however, a thorny one in Malaysia – a multi-cultural
nation that has recently declared itself an Islamic state due to its
larger Muslim population. Malaysia has further implemented several
laws and regulations in line with Islamic teachings.
Hindi
movies have become a hit in Malay-Muslim households with sale of
original and pirated VCD's spiraling in the country. Hindi actors are
extremely popular with locals, especially Shah Rukh Khan and Amir
Khan. Their movies are instantly sold out in the entire country and a
large section of buyers are Malays, sources told IslamOnline.
"The
theatrics of actor Shah Rukh Khan has captured the minds of the people
to such an extent that they would follow everything he
does...including getting married the way he would get married in those
movies," claimed the source, who works in the enforcement
division of the JAIS, which stands for Malaysian Islamic Department.
The
source told IslamOnline that it was the duty of the JAKIM (The
Department of Islamic Advancement Malaysia and the Home Ministry) to
decide on how to control any forms of diversions from Islam that may
arise from the airing of Hindi movies in Malaysia.
Hindi
movies became popular in mid 1990's. Indonesia was the first country
where Indian movies became hits and this spilled over to Malaysia
where the popularity of its male actors is undeniable.
Malay
teenagers would rush to buy the latest posters of their favorite
actors and scores of them would be at the airport to greet the arrival
of the most popular actors.
Last
year there were debates in local Malay dailies on the influence of
Hindi movies on the locals. One editorialist wrote that the influence
of Hindi movies and the popularity of Hindi actors were beyond
comprehension since the Malays in particular do not understand Hindi
or Urdu.
All
the movies screened on TV, Cinemas or on VCD's bear Malay subtitles.
Local TV stations too are scrambling to air the latest Hindi movies in
a bid to beat VCD piracy on the market, the source told IslamOnline.
On
the other hand, there are indications that Indian movies might still
be given a free viewing in Malaysia with the aim of allowing the
production and filming of more movies on Malaysian soil.
Bernama
reported Thursday that the Perak state has developed a strategy to
attract more tourists through foreign film making in Malaysia. The
news agency said Perak's mission to attract tourists through foreign
films is beginning to bear fruit as South Indian movie producers will
shoot three films in the state next month and screen them back home to
an audience of some 140 million.
Two
Tamil movies, "Kathal Kisu-Kisu" (Love Gossip) and Malaysian
Marumagal (Malaysian Daughter-in-Law) will be shot by producers from
Chennai, India while "Nenante Ishtamena" (Do You Like Me) is
a Telegu movie by Andra Pradesh filmmakers.
One
of the movies was officially launched in India by Perak Chief Minister
Tajol Rosli Ghazali before scores of Tamil movie stars, directors and
producers, the agency said.
Popular tourist places in Perak such as Gunung Lang, Bukit Merah,
Taiping, Lenggong, Pangkor, Kuala Sepetang and Clear Water Sanctuary
in Perak are to be featured in all the three films.
|
