Malaysian punk rock trio Bunkface found themselves in hot water following the release of their latest single “Akhir Zaman”, due to one controversial line in the song.
The video was taken down from YouTube as a result of the massive backlash. However, the song is still available on other digital streaming platforms; namely Spotify and Apple Music as at time of writing (Monday, 9th March).
The band recently took to their official Instagram to clarify the issue. In this case, they assured that they didn’t mean spread hatred and single out the LGBT community. Instead, the song was created solely in order to preserve the dignity of Islam.
“The word ‘LGBT’ used in the lyrics is not intended to criticise any particular individual, but it is actually targeted for the movement of the liberal community worldwide, especially for Muslims in the country,” the band clarified in the statement.
They further continued, “We really had no intention of slamming or promoting hatred toward them. But we are against the community who is openly promoting those rights in Malaysia. Rest assured that the song is specially dedicated to Muslims and Malays only.”
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Speaking to Harian Metro, vocalist Sam said that the song contained a line of a verse translated from Surah Al-Kafirun (verse number 6) in the Quran which means, “You are your religion, and I am mine.”
“The lyrics were written entirely in Bahasa Melayu so that fans can easily understand the words since the majority of Muslims in the country are Malays,” the 31-year-old clarified, before adding, “LGBT is still considered haram (forbidden). And the definition of Islam itself means obeying God’s teachings. So, who are we to question His laws?”
In the midst of backlash targeted towards the “Situasi” jam-makers, journalist-musician Faris Saad felt that Bunkface had taken the approach of “extremism” in trying to “evangelise angrily”. The Shh… Diam band member further talked about Sam’s argument on the use of Quran verse in his lyrics. He pointed that content of the religious book are most often than not misunderstood and taken out of context.
“Sam must have found some solace in faith during this dark period in his life, but a holy book cannot offer you a shoulder to cry on, or the warmth and comfort of a hug. There is a lot of anger in ‘Akhir Zaman’, but maybe a lot of it comes from feeling helpless or lost and needing to blame it on something, anything,” Faris wrote in his Queer Lapis article.
That “dark period” refers to Sam’s supposed divorce with his wife Aida Azira Hussin last year. The writer sympathises with the rock star but urge him to use a different approach. “You don’t want your kid to grow up in an environment where hate is encouraged,” reasoned Faris.
Do you agree with Faris’ sentiment?
Source: Harian Metro, Queer Lapis.
