There's Something Better Than This Idea

The Star: October 14

KUALA LUMPUR: Puteri Umno wants the Government to ban the production of “horror, mystical and superstitious” movies, claiming such films can weaken the faith of Muslims in the country.

The movement also wants the authorities to empower the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) to take action against such productions.

The call was contained in one of the motions that were passed without debate at the movement’s general assembly on Wednesday.

“In view of widespread screening of movies with ghosts, superstitious and mystical elements, we urge the Government to empower Jakim to ban their production as they do not carry any positive message, but instead may destroy the faith,” it said.

The movement also called on the Government to issue a similar ban on all foreign movies of such genres.

It said film producers should concentrate on producing films of different genres that could serve as lessons, rather than show horror and superstitious ones which might not even deliver the intended messages.

It added parents must provide religious education to children to ensure that they would have strong faith to avoid from getting influenced by such negative elements.

Close to two years ago - or precisely one day before the Bersih rally, Marina Mahathir wrote an interesting piece that was a response to what former Puteri UMNO Chief Noraini Ahmad said about blogs and the brain drain problem. Marina's response was pretty witty and at the end of the posting, the writing said that Noraini should read more opinions by the women of the newer generation today as to gain better ideas than listening to the ladies in pink.

While reading what the ladies in pink were talking today, about thinking of slapping a ban on movies - horror and fantasy genres in particular - for the reason it weakens the religious faith, I was wondering were they base on facts or just hearsay everywhere but not to the extend of beyond Malaysia. I remembered of those Thai horror movies, which is also a worth watch by people today, or maybe those literature novels that discuss of religion, e.g Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy which also discusses of the religious faith - the inverted ones.

People nowadays don't really much bother about this thing. What matters to them is actually whether the show is a worth watch or not. If you consider planning to watch a very good horror movie just imagine how many youngsters of all races would not have second thoughts of watching it. It's simply because it is good. If you try to take away something that they really like, get ready to get whacked left and right. It's simply because of something that is considered as trying to interfere with their rights and it demonstrates how an immature idea spewed by the ladies in pink without reading the trend ends up being hated by everyone.

True as what Marina advised Noraini, you might want to do the same of reading opinions of younger people there. When you say that statement, see more piracy coming up as people would go to the video shop and buy the DVD of a movie they cannot see in cinema because of getting it banned.

Of course there are better alternatives than such idea. You need to read opinions around, not just listening really.