Lately, Malaysia’s No.1 singer, Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza, has been quite active on social media. She frequently goes live to promote her cosmetics brand, SimplySiti, when she’s not busy performing on stage. Her two children, Afwa and Aafiyah, would occasionally make appearances during her live sessions, adding an extra touch of entertainment for viewers.
Whenever Siti works on something related to her singing career, it quickly grabs attention, as was the case with her latest music video for “Magis,” which was released for Astro Ceria’s upcoming drama series “Hikayat Bawang Merah Bawang Putih.” Recently, a behind-the-scenes clip from the visual track went viral, raising questions among netizens. Here’s what happened:
In a TikTok video posted by @/ghazimaslan yesterday (Thursday, 10th October), the superstar is seen wearing a stunning yellow outfit adorned with jewellery while sitting on a chair. However, the focus of netizens wasn’t on her outfit but rather on the filming location, which resembled a church. For Muslims, entering other religious worship houses can be seen as taboo, though it is not entirely forbidden. Naturally, many were surprised and curious as to why Siti chose to film the music video in what appeared to be a church.
However, it was later clarified that the location was not a Christian holy place but the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC) at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The venue, which serves broader academic and research purposes, was explained in the comments under the post. The architecture of ISTAC, inspired by Islamic and Moroccan designs, led to confusion due to its resemblance to church-like structures.
Many netizens expressed their surprise, initially believing that the “Cindai” singer was filming in an actual church due to the long benches that resembled pews. Others shared their relief after checking the comments and caption of the video, avoiding jumping to conclusions or making accusations. Some users even explained and shared their own experiences of visiting the building, helping to clarify the situation further.
Watch the viral clip here:
Did the building fool you too?
Source: TikTok
Alia contributed to this article.
