‘IT IS HARAM TO JOIN CANDLELIGHT VIGILS’
Such activity is akin to glorifying Kim’s death, says Perak mufti
MUSLIMS are forbidden from joining candlelight vigils in memory of the late Kpop star Kim Jong-hyun who committed suicide this week, Perak mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria said.
He said such activity was against Islamic teachings and was akin to “glorifying” Kim’s death.
“You can’t do that (hold a candlelight vigil) because it is haram. If the artiste or individual was a Muslim, then we should recite AlFatihah for him.
“But if the person was a nonMuslim, why are we praying for him to go to heaven?
“On top of that, he committed suicide.
“Why are we following the culture of unbelievers? What will you get out of it?
“Besides, there are better things we can do than mourn a celebrity who took his own life,” Harussani said.
Kim, 27, the frontman of K-pop group SHINee, was found unconscious at a hotel in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec 18.
He died in a hospital.
Police are treating Kim’s death as suicide based on a report made by his sister.
The singer-songwriter left a suicide note in which he said that he was “broken from the inside”.
On Friday, more than 100 fans of Kim from various ethnic and religious backgrounds gathered near Dataran Merdeka for a candlelight vigil in memory of him.
Participants were seen holding candles, balloons, flowers and glow sticks as they mourned Kim.
In 2015, the National Fatwa Council had declared that it was forbidden for Muslims to join a candlelight vigil, as the activity was deemed similar to the practice of followers of other faiths.