Fourteen-year-old Hassanah Mohammed, a student in a religious boarding school in the PAS-ruled state of Kelantan, is anxiously counting the days to Sept 30.

That is the day she will attend her first concert in the entertainment-sensitive state which will feature teen sensation Asmawi Ani or Mawi.

"My mother is travelling here all the way from our home in Subang Jaya to accompany me to the concert. She's a fan of Mawi too!" she exclaimed.

This is just the excitement that PAS expected when it invited the artiste, who became an overnight household name after winning a local talent show, to perform in the state.

Mawi ( photo ) will perform at a concert to be held in the state capital Kota Baru on the eve of it being declared an Islamic city.

PAS hopes that such shows will improve its appeal among the younger generation and help overcome the widespread perception that it is a hardline Islamic party.

However, a number of party leaders are not terribly excited. They feel the concert violates PAS policies on entertainment.

The dissatisfaction is also apparent in a poll conducted by Harakahdaily , the online version of the party organ, which found that 71.58 percent or more than 300 readers expressed disagreement.

Even the much respected spiritual leader of the party and Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who has openly expressed admiration for Mawi, was not spared the brickbats.

The fact that PAS Youth held a soccer match with a group of artistes on Saturday weekend, has also raised eyebrows.

Not surprised

Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub was not surprised that a debate has started, saying he too had been berated when the wing organised an 'alternative concert' at the party headquarters last year.

"It was a hard task to convince the leaders to give their approval. But in the end, the central committee agreed that Islam does not prohibit entertainment.

"PAS had never looked at entertainment seriously in the past maybe because it used to be a seasonal pastime. But now entertainment is available round the clock and has had an overwhelming affect on the youth.

"We need to find the right approach and guide them in getting the right kind of entertainment. It will help us fight social ills sparked from unhealthy and immoral entertainment."

He believes the harsh criticism faced by the Kelantan government will subside as soon as the state proves that it is able to provide clean fun for the youths.

He also denied that the sudden inclination towards entertainment is a glaring departure from the party's practices.

"We have been consistent in our policy on entertainment. We make sure that our entertainment contain religious messages and advice and that those who attend do behave. I believe we should not close our doors to artistes who can provide entertainment without neglecting these three elements," he said.

Fear of change

However, PAS senior politician Subky Latif, who had openly criticised Nik Aziz and the Kelantan government over the issue, had a different viewpoint about using entertainment as a tool to help curb social ills.

"We have tried this before. It was done by our former president Asri Muda who brought in the nasyid group As-Suraya in the 1970s. It did not work...more bad than good. We have to find other ways and means," he said.

A party worker claimed that the ongoing debate reveals only the tip of the iceberg on the internal clash of opinions regarding strategies and approaches.

"Entertainment is just one of the many tugs of wars in the party," he added.

According to him, most leaders, except for the old guard, are really keen on new activities.

"I believe that these activities show that PAS is keeping its promise to make changes and re-organise its strategies to make the party more appealing to the youth.

"It's time we approach those whom we have neglected, including those in the entertainment sector. I really think PAS is moving in the right direction and those who oppose it are doing so merely due to fear of change."

Subky countered this, saying those who oppose such moves are not afraid of change, but want it to be constructive.

"I may not think that it is a good move but that does not mean that I am opposed to change. I want positive change for the party too. But I'm talking about change in how we do our work, not discarding the jubah for shorts," he added.

Clear policies needed

Political writer and analyst Mohd Lutfi Othman said those who have reservations are concerned that such a drastic turnabout would affect the party's credibility.

In the past, he noted that PAS was really strict over the issue of entertainment.

"As I remember blues singer Ito had problems with the debate (within PAS) as to whether string instruments are permissible. But when Mawi came into the picture, all doubts ceased to exist. This is a bit hard to swallow," he said.

He believed that PAS could have avoided the debate if it had provided full and clear explanations.

"PAS must remember that it is an ideology-based political party. It must realise that it cannot simply introduce changes and ignore the past views and stances. Changes such as this must be accompanied with a clear logical explanation both from the Islamic and political perspectives.

"The debate on Mawi is just a phase which will soon fade. But leaders must take this opportunity and push for clear and thorough guidelines not only on entertainment but also on issued linked to sports and women."

Commenting on this, Salahuddin agreed on the need for clear policies.

"In fact , we are in the midst of collecting data and information to help us propose a clear guideline on the issue of entertainment. We aim to have a clear written guideline by the end of this year," he added.