Malaysian nightspots open for business at Ramadhan<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Just minutes after my arrival at Kuala Lumpur (KL), I was
\nsurprised to hear a tour guide announcing that tourists could
\nstill experience glittering nightlife during the fasting month of
\nRamadhan.<\/p>\n
That was beyond my expectations as I had assumed that the
\nauthorities would limit the operation of entertainment centers,
\nas the Jakarta administration had done.<\/p>\n
As far as I was aware, Malaysia is a country with a Muslim
\nmajority, just like Indonesia. Being skeptical about the
\nannouncement, I decided to find out for myself.<\/p>\n
The reality surprised me even more as I walked along Jl. Bukit
\nBintang, which offered numerous festivities. Visitors packed
\nshopping malls and cafes there. Surprisingly, nightspots remained
\nopen and were busy serving visitors.<\/p>\n
You can easily find various entertainment, including bars,
\ngame centers, discos and live music or karaoke lounges, complete
\nwith charming hostesses.<\/p>\n
Nightspots were also found, among other venues, on Jl. Ampang,
\nJl. Tun Razak, Jl. Sultan Ismail and in the Bangsar Baru area.<\/p>\n
According to Miriam, a waiter at a club on Jl. Bukit Bintang,
\nnightspots opened as usual just as in the months other than
\nRamadhan.<\/p>\n
\"The municipality has not imposed any rules to limit our
\noperations,\" she told The Jakarta Post, adding that there was no
\ndifference, given the number of guests.<\/p>\n
The club where Miriam works offered live music. Visitors,
\nmostly foreigners, came to relax, chat and sip drinks, said
\nMiriam.<\/p>\n
A visitor, Valery Kok, said that she went to the club simply
\nto spend some spare time there with friends.<\/p>\n
\"We don't ask our Muslim friends to come with us to nightclubs
\nduring Ramadhan because we respect them,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Nightspots here open at 7 p.m, and are allowed to stay open
\nuntil 3 a.m. They also provide alcohol.<\/p>\n
With about 1.5 million residents, KL currently has about 450
\nnightspots around the city, according to spokesman of the
\nmunicipality Sarifuddin Ibrahim.<\/p>\n
\"The authorities respect Ramadhan, of course. However, they
\nconsider other parties' interests as well,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Sarifuddin explained that KL is also home to other residents
\nwho are not Muslim as it is a melting pot of various ethnic
\ngroups, including Malays, Chinese, Indians and Arabs.<\/p>\n
He said that Muslims there usually avoided the bright lights,
\nalthough they were allowed to visit such places.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a cleric of one of the largest mosques in KL
\ncriticized the rule that let nightspots run their business as
\nusual during Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
\"The government should, at least, limit the operation of
\nnightclubs during the holy month. Muslims here actually disagree
\nwith the rule,\" said the cleric, who asked not to be named.<\/p>\n
Although they did not agree, even the hard-line groups had not
\ndisrupted the operation of nightspots during Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
\"Attacking other parties is not allowed in Islam. If we oppose
\na rule, we can file a complaint to the government. As residents,
\nwe should obey the rules.\"<\/p>\n
Separately, Rachman, a local Muslim, said that while most
\nMuslims opposed the rule, they respected the authority's
\ndecision.<\/p>\n
\"It's not a problem, as we Muslims don't visit nightspots
\nduring Ramadhan. We understand that they (who make a living from
\nentertainment businesses) also have to survive,\" he said, adding
\nthat he and his Muslim friends rarely visited nightspots, even
\nduring the rest of the year.<\/p>\n
No conflicts have been reported due to the operation of
\nnightspots. Muslims were still able to experience the holy month
\nin peace.<\/p>\n
That is rather different from Ramadhan in Jakarta, where
\ncertain nightspots like discotheques were not allowed to open,
\nwhile the opening hours of some other places were limited and the
\nsale of alcohol banned. It was also marked by violence, as a
\nhard-line group attacked some night spots that, it claimed, had
\nviolated the rule.<\/p>\n
The writer was a participant in a media tour sponsored by the
\nJakarta administration to observe the nightlife and other aspects
\nof urban life in KL.<\/p>",
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