PETALING JAYA: The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah summoned state PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi to a meeting at the Istana Bukit Kayangan.

       In a Facebook post on Wednesday (June 15), the Selangor Royal Office said that the meeting lasted for about an hour.

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       There were no further details shared, but the meeting came following Ahmad Yunus' calls for the Selangor government to prohibit Muslims from participating in the Bon Odori festival.

       The Star has reached out to Ahmad Yunus for his comments.

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       The Selangor ruler had instructed the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) to not in any way obstruct the Japanese Bon Odori Festival from being held next month.

       His Highness had also suggested that Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of religious affairs, Datuk Idris Ahmad, who asked Muslims to stay away from the event, to attend the festival.

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       This came after Idris, who is also PAS vice-president, said that Muslims should not attend the annual Bon Odori Festival as it had elements of other religions.

       Last week, Jais director Datuk Shahzihan Ahmad, in a statement issued after he was summoned for an audience at Istana Bukit Kayangan, said the Ruler had ordered Jais not to prevent any individuals from attending the festival.

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       He added that His Highness was not in favour of any decisions taken hastily without an in-depth study.

       The festival, scheduled to take place at the Shah Alam Sports Complex on July 16, has been held here for decades as a social event for the Japanese community and businesses here to inculcate goodwill with locals.

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       A statement issued by the Selangor Royal Office on June 9 also read that Sultan Sharafuddin had himself attended the event in 2016 accompanied by the then Japanese ambassador to Malaysia and through his observation found that the Bon Odori Celebrations did not involve religious elements or rituals.

       It added that the Ruler also said culture practised by all communities in the world had some connection with religion.

       "Nevertheless, with the passage of time, these cultural practices no longer highlighted the religious elements," it read.