Not married? Cinema says no couple seats for you
Netizens are buzzing after photos of a note posted at a cinema in Perak started making its rounds in cyberspace.
The note tells unmarried Muslims they cannot buy couple seats at the Lotus Five Star (LFS) Cinema at D'Mall in Seri Iskandar, Perak.
The ban has been in force since 2013. It was issued following “advice” from the Perak Tengah Municipal Council.
Since Tuesday (July 21), netizens have been sharing the information and their thoughts on the ban.
Seri Iskandar township is mainly an education hub, where Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) are located.
Young people make up the bulk of the cinema's customer base there, Guang Ming Daily reported.
The three other LFS cinemas in Ipoh, Kampar and Parit Buntar do not display such notices, newspaper The Star reported today (July 23).
The notices, put up by the cinema's management, say unmarried couples "are not allowed to sit in couple seats” (see photo below).
Those who want to purchase such tickets have to show their marriage certificates, Guang Ming added.
News portal Astro Awani reported that the cinema, which has 12 couple seats, had kept the ban in force since it first opened its doors two years ago.
Perak Tengah district council president Mad Dan Hassan said the notice was meant only for Muslim patrons and it was issued to the cinema in Sept 2013.
He told reporters in Ipoh yesterday (July 22):
“So far, we have not received any complaints from the public nor the cinema, and we have also not issued any summonses to the cinema if it had violated the notice.”
According to The Star, he was commenting after several newspapers and social media sites reported on the issue recently.
Asked if the council would take action should unmarried Muslim couples insist on buying the couple seats, Mr Mad Dan said the council had not received any complaints and would not withdraw the notice.
It is unclear how the cinema enforces the ban or what action will be taken for those who defy the ban, Malay Mail Online said.
A spokesman from LFS told Star Online she did not understand why the issue was being blown out of proportion when the notice had been there for the past two years.
She said there were no complaints from Muslim patrons when told that the couple seats were only meant for married couples.
Sources: Star Online, Malay Mail Online, Guang Ming Daily, Twitter, Astro Awani, Facebook
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