Religion, Cultural Identity, and Kelantan's Dikir Barat.

This paper is a descriptive account of what appears to be a divergence between existing cultural values in the State of Kelantan, Malaysia, and a more internationally oriented Islamic identity which is currently being promoted by the State Government. The State is rich in musical and cultural traditions: some of these, like mak yong dance drama and wayang kulit shadow puppet theatre have been actively discouraged by the Government because of their links with Hinduism and animism. Other performing arts, like dikir barat, appear to be a useful means of representing the religious doctrine promoted by the government. Using articles from the New Straits Times newspaper, I will highlight the complexities of this situation and suggest that the debate over cultural and religious identities may have implications for the performing arts in Kelantan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]