Misleading Mindset & Unclear Statement: "K-Pop Band Molest Muslim Girls on Stage"

Image Source: Taken from "The Straits Times". Reference link: TheStraitsTimes

Full details of the news from The Straits Times: K-pop boy band at centre of controversy over hugging three Muslim girls

First of all, I need to clarify on the following:

• I'm not a fans of K-Pop songs or any Korean bands
• I don't against the teaching of Islamic religion and have no issues with the religion teaching
• I don't agree or disagree on the fans comment or any public view on this issue as I don't review public opinion before posting this

Let's talk about the title that you can find on the internet that relate this viral news that goes wild in the internet after it happen. You can generally find either one of the title for this news: "K-pop boy band hugging three Muslim girls" or "K-pop boy band molesting three Muslim girls". So it's either "hugging" or "molesting", which is totally differ on personal view on which title is correct.

But the reality don't based on personal or group view & opinion. I prefer to based on definition of words to comment on this. "Hugging" as define in Merriam Webster: Definition of hug is to put your arms around someone especially as a way of showing love or friendship. "Molest" as define in The Free Dictionary: Molestation is the crime of sexual act including touching of private parts, rape, and inducement of sexual act.

Now look back at the "truth" which is in the video (if you can find one or had watch it) or the pictures above, if you define it as hug, that is true because the K-Pop artist is wrapping his arm against the Muslim girl from behind.

If you want to define it as molest, there is a need to clearly clarify if the K-Pop artist had actually conducted any sexual acts on the Muslim girls based on the video or picture you can find.

At this point, I'm not making any personal judgement to say that this is definitely just hugging and not molest. This issue had became a hot topic that goes viral not only on internet, but also broadcasted in the public news, so it's something serious and directly transferring the message to everyone in the public. So it's critical to ensure that the correct message is actually being passed on to everyone. The main issue is, apparently there are some authorities are not passing the correct message.

I can understand that there are conventional thinking that "hugging" somehow relate to sensitive issue and behavior which is related to something highly private, especially here in Malaysia. This country has many sensitive issues in such way that we don't practice contact of body language to express friendliness. But we need to consider the mindset of people from other country, not only what the authorities think is right here.

Having said that, it's not that K-Pop artists who hugged the Muslim girls because they do know understand or realize the conventional mindset here is reasonable or acceptable, since they are from different background. But I believe we need to understand their intention before anyone make final & deadly judgement on their behavior.

Apart of that, the authorities had made statement to arrest the three Muslim girls who accepted the K-Pop artists' hugs, or to be more specific, the authorities defined that the Muslim girls accepted "being molested" on the stage. So are they suppose to scream, shout and run away when the K-Pop artist is approaching them?

Scream, shout and run away is nothing shameful and could be considered normal, or proper way to react, IF Malaysia have been practicing this all the time. However, again, it's apparently not.

Double Standard in Hugging for Different Authorities & People

Not long after this news go viral, there are people who posted a news where Prime Minister's wife, Rosmah, gave a hug to Dato Lee Chong Wei in the public (News from Free Malaysia Tody: What about Rosmah hugging Chong Wei?). Now, the situation is the same.

Let's not talk about why Rosmah give a huge to Lee Chong Wei, there is no doubt it's the same act which is hugging. But the relevant authorities is giving different comments and opinion for the hug between Rosmah and Lee Chong Wei, and the hug between K-Pop artist and Muslim girls. Why is there a need for double standard on this issue? Why there is no one giving a single comment about Rosmah hugging Chong Wei? And why the authorities want to make a huge statement now? This is too obvious that the double standard is occurring that it's not making any fair statement to different group of people and authority.

Aside of Rosmah hugging Chong Wei, look around the past articles and info on the internet, there are lots of hugging here and there occur in the public. Are we suppose to make a huge statement about it now? If the authorities wanted to claim an issue on K-Pop artist hugging Muslim girls only, they need to clarify their standpoint not only on the issue of K-Pop artists hugging Muslim girls on the particular news above, they also need to clarify their standpoint in the past events that had occurred and future event that they want to avoid. Otherwise, the relevant authorities is not making their statement clear and solid, thus not making well reasoning statement to the public.

Image Source: Internet
Lastly, the statement of authorities to arrest the Muslim girls who willingly being hugged is not making any proper sense. Say, if this is to alert the public that being hugged is against the religious teaching so they should be punished, what's the difference between this matter and the extremely ridiculous mindset that girls being molested or raped should be punished because they are seducing men? I sense that our human knowledge and intelligent is not moving forward and instead of being wiser, we moving backwards to become more narrow minded and less civilized. Are we moving from developing country to under developed country, and possibly further backwards?