AUG 23 — The PAS Youth wing can sleep safe in knowing that its status as holier-than-thou killjoys and party-poopers is still intact after its recent preaching exercise to Metallica concertgoers on Wednesday.

This time around, the gang of moral police decided to shame concertgoers by handing out flyers which asked “If you can pay RM195 for Metallica, why not share some to help Egyptians?”

This argument mirrored the one used by celebrity-turned-evangelist Wardina Safiyyah, who expressed her outrage that Malaysians were much more interested in the announcement that Metallica will play in the country compared to the atrocities happening in Egypt.

“MESIR or METALICCA [sic] ??? Which would be your concern?” the self-confessed “Muslim revert” tweeted comically in early July, demonstrating ignorance on the exact subject she was attacking.

It remains to be seen if this guilt-tripping exercise was successful in attracting support for Egypt instead of alienating its target audience by making several gross misassumptions.

Firstly, it assumed that a Metallica fan does not already share concern for the current killings befalling Egyptians in the last few months, which have been making news whether in primetime broadcast or in alternative sources almost every day.

Secondly, it assumed that Metallica fans cannot both go to a concert and contribute towards Egypt, as if they are mutually exclusive events.

Thirdly and the worst is the judgment that any man who decides to spend his own hard-earned money to see his beloved band which gives him so much joy, instead of giving it away to Egyptians, has made a morally disgraceful decision.

Here is the thing about charity: the honour lies with those who give, instead of dishonour being with those who do not.

Charity means giving freely to a cause with full conscience, instead of being coaxed either with subtle guilt-tripping, or full-on threats of fire and brimstone.

In a statement on Tuesday, PAS Youth information chief Riduan Mohd Nor had erroneously blamed the government for giving consent to Linkin Park and Metallica to hold their concerts this week.

“In the middle of restlessness and tears of Muslims all over the world towards Egypt and Syria’s bloody earths, Malaysia remains excited with entertainment concerts,” Riduan said here.

“The sensitivity of Muslim leaders in this country towards world crisis and polemic is baffling.”

Again, the selective stance taken by PAS here is sanctimonious. If it were up to its supporters, Malaysians should drop whatever they are doing right now and flock to help and support Egypt and Syria — and only the two — their way.

And their suggestion for doing so? “Munajat, solat ghaib, and qunut nazilah” — a series of prayers, that is surely doing Egyptians a fat lot of good at the moment.

Riduan had further chastised metalheads, describing the genre with derisive words such as “slacking”, “harsh”, “extreme”, “earsplitting”, and “bringing incoherent messages.”

This misconception and discrimination against lovers of the genre was sadly outdated by a few decades, stuck in the era where metal fans — especially black metal fans — were conveniently treated as scapegoats for every social ill under the sun.

Perhaps, if the preachers had actually spent some time with metal fans (many of them PAS supporters themselves), and listened to one or two decent metal tracks for once, they would realise how mistaken they are.

For a community which has been harping on how adherents of their religion have been unfairly perceived and mistreated across the world, PAS has played the same discriminatory card against a harmless group of music lovers.

And that is a shame, for despite their preference for heavy music characterised by meaty down-tuned guitars, blasting drums and a variety of screamed-shrieked-growled vocals, metalheads are mostly just like fans of any other genres.

What unites them is rage against a number of injustices — oppression by the authorities being one of them.

By alienating and dismissing them through their judgmental lenses, Islamic preachers might have just pushed some away from the organised religion aspect of Islam.

It has not been the same story with Christianity, where Christian metal — any subgenre of metals which speaks of positivity and spirituality in the name of the Christian divine  — has grown in numbers in the past few decades.

Metalcore bands such as Underoath, As I Lay Dying, Norma Jean, August Burns Red, and The Devil Wears Prada, for example, have been attracting hordes of fans — including Muslims — through their positive and relatable lyrics.

Another heartwarming story is that of Orphaned Land and Khalas — from Israel and Palestine respectively — which will be holding an 18-gig tour together, promoting a message of co-existence and brotherhood between the two countries which have been perpetually locked in enmity.

Dare I say, these bands are doing much good for their moral cause, perhaps more than PAS could have dreamed of.

PAS Youth can talk all it wants about how it supposedly “has nothing against entertainment”, but its actions have continually proven that its members are not really avid fans of “fun.”

These preachers need not worry about their status as killjoys and party-poopers. After all, there is still Lamb of God in September next.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.