Kuala Lumpur: The Islamist rulers of a northern Malaysian state have decided to permit dance clubs, as long as they serve no liquor, keep men and women apart and ensure the women's clothes cover their navels.
Nik Aziz Nik Mat, chief minister of the opposition-run state of Kelantan, has said he does not oppose dancing, but couples should not do it and women's navels must not be exposed, in line with strict Islamic rules, the Star newspaper said on Sunday.
"When dancing is done with the aurat covered and there is no intermingling, everything should be okay," the New Sunday Times quoted him as saying, in a reference to areas of the body that Islamic law requires to be kept covered.
Muslims generally accept that for a woman this means the whole body except for face and hands, while for a man it ranges from navel to knees, the paper added.
Almost half of Malaysia's population of roughly 26 million is non-Muslim, and the national government is secular.
The papers said the move to permit dance clubs was part of an effort to boost tourism in Kelantan, which is ruled by the Parti Islam se Malaysia, whose official platform is to turn the country into an Islamic state.
Earlier this month, authorities in Kota Baru, capital of the state, angered women's groups and politicians by threatening to fine non-Muslim women for wearing revealing clothes .
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