Viral Zumba video triggers police probe in Malaysia over revealing attire
Headscarf-wearing instructors ignited a social media firestorm and religious backlash after being filmed performing in clothing considered skimpy
The aerobics session, live-streamed on Saturday morning, quickly triggered a social media pile-on, with critics accusing the organisers of violating religious and public decency norms in the Muslim-majority country.
On Sunday, Selangor’s Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) confirmed it had launched an inquiry into the incident, believed to have taken place in Bukit Badong, Kuala Selangor.
JAIS director Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad said the department “viewed the matter seriously”.
“Apart from being clearly inappropriate, it includes elements that could be seen as indecent behaviour in a public setting or actions that may bring Islam into disrepute,” he said in a statement.
As criticism mounted, one of the instructors identified only as Sabrina posted an apology video on Sunday. She said the incident, in which she was seen wearing a headscarf but no skirt, happened “spontaneously” and without the organiser’s awareness.
“I want to apologise for what happened earlier,” she said. “Everything happened spontaneously”.