Malaysia Cancels "Ghosts Exhibition"

"The decision was taken out of respect to the views of the National Fatwa Council," said Kamaruddin.

"The decision was taken out of respect to the views of the National Fatwa Council," Datuk Kamaruddin Siaraf, chairman of the State Museum board, which hosts the Mysterious World of Ghosts and Genies, was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

The exhibition began on March 10 and was supposed to end on May 30.

Among items put up on display were weird items called "jenglot", "buluh perindu", "pocong" and "supar."

The exhibition capitalizes on a widespread fascination with the ghouls and goblins that populate Malaysia's legends and folklore.

Last year more than 200,000 people flocked to an exhibition of about 100 coffins, ghosts and genies that organizers claimed included relics of mermaids and vampires.

It also displayed decaying artifacts described as the carcasses of a genie and a mythical phoenix bird.

Forbidden

The termination of the exhibition came after the National Fatwa Council has ruled that such exhibitions are forbidden in Islam as they could undermine the faith.

"They are beyond the comprehension of the human mind as they involve the invisible world," Bernama quoted as saying the council's chairman, Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin.

"We don't want to promote a belief in the supernatural and in superstition, which we do not know about. So we do not need to focus on such things or play them up by having such exhibitions."

Just over half of Malaysia's population is Muslim. The National Fatwa Council, made up of respected Islamic scholars, is the main body that issues fatwas (religious edicts) in the country.

The exhibition was earlier criticized by Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim, who said it would not bring any benefit to the public or contribute to the progress of Malaysians.