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Recently, the Islamic Religious Administration Office in Tapah, Perak made claims that Joget Lambak events at an Orang Asli village sell alcohol, engage in unlawful sexual activities, and practice ancestor worship in a letter dated 5 October 2024.
In the letter that went viral on Twitter, they instructed all village chiefs in the district to forbid Malay people to attend Joget Lambak events there, and their reasons:
Paragraph 3.1 – Joget lambak is a customary ceremony which involves the worshipping of ancestors so the event goes smoothly. Ancestor worship and polytheism is forbidden in Islam.
Paragraph 3.2 – The event sells illicit products that are not halal, primarily alcohol.
Paragraph 3.3 – The act of lewd behaviour between men and women involving physical touch such as holding hands and hugging out of wedlock.
Paragraph 3.4 – Possibility of unlawful sexual intercourse between men and women after the event.
Netizens have called the letter disrespectful towards Orang Asli, and expressed their anger in the comments section.
Malaysiakini reported that they confirmed the legitimacy of the letter circulating on social media with the department concerned.
Kampung Chang Lama Village Chief Dahil Yok Chopil has dismissed the claims and said that Joget Lambak is usually held to celebrate birthdays, weddings, and thanksgiving events.
Dahil said he did not receive the letter and the Joget Lambak event is by invitation only. He also stated that the organisers would usually check attendees to make sure they don’t bring in any alcohol.
“If we do find alcohol on a person, we will settle the issue amongst ourselves”, Dahil said.
“We don’t allow uninvited people in because sometimes people from the city would bring drugs and cause trouble here”
“We also don’t invite Malay people to join joget lambak. It is only by invitation and if anyone does turn up uninvited, we will ask them to leave”, he continued.
Regarding the allegations of illicit intercourse, Dahil said it very rarely happens during these events.
Joget Lambak is a type of joget (dance) which is common in Malaysia and is usually performed by a large crowd together at social events.
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