Tourists have been banned from a popular attraction after a video of women dancing provocatively in front of it went viral.
The Masjid Bandaraya in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, closed its doors to visitors after a clip showing two foreign women wearing shorts and crop tops sparked outrage.
Mosque chairman Jamal Sakaran said he was disappointed in the behaviour of some visitors to the popular destination in Sabah on the island of Borneo.
Tourists have been banned from a popular attraction after a video of women dancing provocatively in front of it went viral (pictured)
The Masjid Bandaraya (pictured) in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, closed its doors to visitors after a clip showing two foreign women wearing shorts and crop tops sparked outrage
‘We opened our doors to visitors because we want to introduce and let the people know the beauty of Islam, but such action has tarnished the image of our religion,’ Mr Sakaran said, The Star reported.
‘Our immediate action is to close the mosque to visitors.
‘All express buses, Grab cars and taxis are not allowed to bring tourists into the compound or park their vehicles in the area.’
The ten-second clip shows two women wearing shorts and tops exposing their midriffs doing a synchronised dance on a wall while another woman films them.
Mosque chairman Jamal Sakaran said he was disappointed in the behaviour of some visitors to the popular destination in Sabah on the island of Borneo (pictured are the tourists dancing)
Tourism authorities considered taking legal action against the tourists – believed to be foreigners – in the video, but eventually decided against it.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew said they hoped to find and identify the women and their tour operator.
‘We want to remind and warn all tour operators to inform their customers to refrain from acting disrespectfully at holy sites, all places of worships and areas of sensitivity in Sabah,’ Liew said.
Almost exactly three years ago four tourists from the UK, Canada and the Netherlands were sentenced for posing naked on Mount Kinabalu.
The Westerners were jailed for three days and ordered to pay fines of 5,000 ringgit ($1,700) before being deported.
‘We opened our doors to visitors because we want to introduce and let the people know the beauty of Islam, but such action has tarnished the image of our religion,’ Mr Sakaran said (pictured is the Masjid Bandaraya)