A ‘Couple’ Of Things You Should Know About This Entire LFS Cinema Issue That’s Taking Over Social Media
The Daily Seni‘s Tania Knutt and Deric Ect trawl the internet to understand mahram-gate and come up with something that’s (hopefully) of use to people who want to learn more about the issue.
In recent news, Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria stated that couple seats in cinemas encourage ‘couples’ to engage in immoral acts. As reported by Astro Awani and The Malay Mail on Tuesday, Harussani claimed that cinema is a vice that is detrimental to the faith of Malaysian Muslims.
This piece of news has come amidst intensifying media coverage on the 1MDB debacle; you may have seen this on your Facebook news feed in between posts of Jho Low and Tony Pua. If you haven’t, here’s a round-up of everything to do with the entire thing.
It all began at Lotus Five Star Cinema (LFS) in Seri Iskandar, Perak. Two years ago.
The implementation isn’t new; it was only picked up by media after a picture was posted in a Facebook fan group called , as reported by Astro Awani two days ago.
In the picture was a sign put up at LFS that simply said the words:
What exactly does mahram mean? Let’s ask Wiki!
Oh, you mean muhrim. [Ed – Despite often being used interchangeably with mahram in conversation, muhrim actually denotes a person who gets into the state of ihram for the purpose of haji or umrah.]
The sign that started it all. Photo by Harith Baharudin via Facebook.
According to the Malaysian Digest, the Perak Tengah District Council requires that cinema-goers show proof of marriage in order to use the couple seats. This has been enforced since the middle of 2014 — public opinion was taken into account by Seri Iskandar council members as well as the Perak Islamic Department (JAIP).
In any case, here are quotes in relation to the whole thing.
First up, we have words from the mufti himself, as obtained from Astro Awani.
Who is Harussani? Well, he last bagged headlines in June, when he claimed that gymnastics are not for Muslim women.
Harussani is the Mufti who receives the most media coverage. Photo via Youtube.
Next are a selection of soundbites from Parit UMNO Youth Head and Seri Iskandar Council member Khairul Shahril Mohamed, straight out of the Malaysian Digest.
Since the time we started writing this article, The Star has also jumped on board the issue and now we have some words from the chairman of Malaysia’s Non-Islamic Affairs Committee.
All that said, we sought opinions from the masses.
This is not just a mere social issue; this concerns cinema and Malaysian film and this is why we have decided to compile words from the creative community on the matter.
Typically, the first people we decided to ask are Malaysia’s filmmakers but this time, none of them wanted to comment, bar Sabah-based .
On the other hand, our young local writers however were more than willing to defend our cinemas. First up, we have writer and journalist Terence Toh, putting forward his thoughts.
Then we went to social media executive by day and journalist by night Kathleen de Cruz to find out her take on the entire thing.
We also asked playwright , who had something to say about Harussani’s crusade against cinemas.
Based on a poll done by Astro Awani, approximately a third of respondents want cinemas shut down in Malaysia. That’s right guys, one in three of us think cinemas are the bane of civilisation.
Here are some screencaps from social media indicating how people in general feel about the entire thing.
And now for an FAQ section.
As LFS Cinemas cannot be reached for comment, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the popular questions cropping up regarding the issue and try to solve them.
Does this ruling affect all the cinemas of the nation?
No, only Seri Iskandar.
Does this ruling affect non-muslims?
No, only Muslims.
What if I wanted to watch a movie with my mum but we want the couple seats as it’s more comfortable?
Your mother is considered muhrim lah, so it’s fine. You may need to prove it however.
What if we’re on our first date and we promise not to make out?
Cannot; no marriage certificate then no couple seat. Make out in regular seat.
What if there are none other than couple seats available for the show I’m planning to watch?
Next time book in advance?
Must we bring in our original marriage certificate or can I bring a photocopy?
…photocopies should be fine, as long as got cop from commissioner of oath?
What if we’re a gay couple?
Err…
And what if I wanted to buy a couple seat just for myself?
We’re not sure…
(Yeah, LFS, better get on the phones and start responding to calls before other people such as ourselves and the Perak Mufti answer on your behalf.)
What do you guys think?
muhrim tu orang buat haji