Sorry honey, but movie date nights have to be turned down a notch. Especially if you’re in Perak.
A cinema outlet has banned unmarried Muslims from selecting couple seats when visiting its outlets in Perak. According to state Non-Islamic Affairs Committee chairman, Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, the directive not to sell couple seat tickets to unmarried couples issued to the Lotus Five Star (LFS) Cinema at D’Mall only applies to Muslim couple and will not apply to non-Muslims.
The Perak Tengah district council issued the notice two years ago as the cinema was located in a predomnantly Muslim Community. According to its president Mad Dah Hassan, the notice was meant for Muslim patrons and the matter was decided during a full board meeting almost two years ago. The notice was issued to the cinema on September 26th, 2013.
The affected cinema outlet is in Seri Iskandar which is mainly an education hub where Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) are located. So far, said “rule” does not apply to the three other LFS cinemas in Ipoh, Kampar, and Parit Buntar.
According to Mad Dan, the council had not received any complaints and would not withdraw the notice, when asked if the council would take action should unmarried Muslim couples insist on buying couple seats. Dr Mah said now was the best time for both parties to discuss refining and reviewing the notice.
He would defend the rights of non-Muslims, and in this case it was clear that the notice applied to Muslims only, said Dr Mah.
Respect is key for the religion and culture of others, and I am totally against the idea of revoking the cinema’s licence. The cinema is just following instructions from the local council,” he said, adding that this was the first time he encountered news reports on such a notice.
A spokesman from LFS said she did not understand why the issue was being blown out of proportion when the notice has been there for the past two years. According to her, there were no complaints from Muslim patrons when told that the couple seats were only meant for married couples.
Law student Muhammad Irfan Shahril, 20, who was asked about the directive, felt it was a violation of freedom:
I think there should not be such a regulation for unmarried Muslim couples. Indecent acts should not be carried out in public places, and we as Muslims must be well-mannered at all times. A cinema is a place where people go to enjoy a good movie, and not to carry out indecent acts.
Another student Fatin Liyana Mokhtar, 19, felt it was a good move to have such a notice in place, because as Muslims it would discourage people from carrying out indecent acts.
What are your thoughts on the directive? Let us know by sounding off in the comments box.
via The Star Online.
