Malaysia’s angry culture war brigade tries to dampen water festival over ‘moral harm’
Kuala Lumpur’s Rain Rave Water Music Festival faces backlash from critics who argue that such vulgar imports hurt conservative values
The splashy Labour Day revelry at the capital’s shopping mecca, ending on Saturday, featuring DJs, local pop acts, food, crafts and cultural performances, was organised as part of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.
But hours before the event began, it faced backlash from the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi), which warned that the bash could lead to “moral harm” and the “collapse of societal values”.
“Jawi expresses regret over the organisation of the programme and hopes the organisers will reassess its concept and be mindful of the sensitivities of Malaysia’s multiracial, multireligious and multicultural society,” the agency’s director Hanifuddin Roslan said in a statement on Thursday.
He said Islam did not reject entertainment outright, but such events must follow sharia guidelines.