The search for the middle path : islam and the tradisional malay performings arts

The 1991 banning of the Malay traditional performing arts of wayang kulit, menora
and mak yong1 in the state of Kelantan, Malaysia by the ruling opposition Islamist party PAS
created a furore among Malay cultural activists and sparked heated debates among
politicians and academicians. The recent religious ‘fatwa’ banning the kuda kepang dance in
the Johor state left many speechless, but for some, they saw it coming. There is growing
alarm of an impending extinction of Malay intangible heritage, especially the performing arts,
due to the rising tide of Islamization in Malaysia. For religious authorities, remnants of the old
animist, Hindu-Buddhist beliefs and practices found in these arts are the main problem. Is
Islam on a collision course with traditional performing arts? Is there room for compromise
between religious authorities and traditional performing arts activist? The recent
announcement by the government of Kelantan about revising the ban gives a glimmer of
hope to the future of these ancient Malay art forms. This paper attempts to look into the
Islamization of the performing arts and how artists are put in a dilemma between being
practicing Muslims and preserving a heritage deemed ‘unIslamic’.