He argued, all human daily affairs, including dances, are lawful (harus) unless there is clear evidence that can substantiate the religion (Islam) to forbid it.
However, he added, if there are bad elements in the dance, the matter shall be managed by thoroughly removing the bad elements, rather than banning the whole thing.
"On this basis, in my opinion, the poco-poco dance is lawful, unless it is the person's wish to practice it based on his/her appreciation of the beliefs of another faith or religion" he said, who is also a lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
The Perak Mufti, Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria was reported to have said, the Fatwa Committee of the State had decided that the dance was illegal because it has elements of other religious beliefs and worshiping of spirits.
The gazetting of the fatwa would be made soon.
In a statement made last night, Dr Mohd Asri also stressed that the Muslim community should know about the broadness of Islamic teachings, even more so in today's society of diverse knowledge and practice.
"So, the ruling in the case of dance, exercise, games and the like, should be broad and by giving some leniency granted by Islam," he said.
According to Dr Mohd Asri, if the ban is just based on its origin which is not Islamic, it will then create a trend of banning a host of other activities such as Tai Chi, Taekwondo and the Qiqong exercise.
He however stressed that he respected the opinion of the Fatwa Committee and the Perak Mufti, Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria and the decision of banning the dance.
He is just giving an alternative view.
Translated from Malaysiakini's Malay section article: Dr Asri: Poco-poco harus, bukan haram
Check also the comments section where most commentors are having a field day with their dissenting views and also poking fun at Tan Sri Harussani and the JK Fatwa's decision: 71 comments so far, and still counting...!
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Poco-poco - is it really a religous dance?
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