Malaysia gallery seeks ghost busters
Friday 11 August 2006 8:29 AM GMT
The paranormal is a controversial topic in mainly Muslim Malaysia

A Malaysian museum will let a US research team from Ripley's Believe It
or Not! conduct scientific tests on genies, ghouls and other paranormal
items on display in an exhibition to determine whether they are real.
The three-month Mysteries, Genies, Ghosts and Coffins exhibition at the
Sultan Alam Shah Museum in central Selangor state has drawn criticism
since it began in July 4. Some accuse it of being un-Islamic, while
others have denounced the items as fakes.

The exhibition has drawn tens of thousands of visitors. Officials say
the approximately 100 items on display include a preserved mermaid; the
shrivelled skeletal remains of a half-woman, half snake; a goblin
trapped in a bottle; and other creatures from Malay folklore.
Amzah Umar, chairman of the Selangor Museum Board, said on Friday the
organisers and the owner of the exhibits have agreed to Ripley's request
to examine the items.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise which deals in bizarre
events, having started in 1918 as a newspaper cartoon panel featuring
unusual and startling facts from around the world.

Umar said: "They have written to us for permission to analyse the items.
A team from US will be coming to conduct scientific tests.
"This will put to rest any allegations that the exhibits are fake."
He did not say when the tests would be conducted.

Ghost hunter
Syed Abdullah Al-Attas, a popular ghost hunter and head of the
Paranormal Seekers Malaysia group, on Wednesday lodged a police report
against the museum, demanding the exhibition be shut down because the
exhibits were merely replicas and animal carcasses.
The items belong to religious teacher Safuan Abu Bakar, who was quoted
as saying by The Star newspaper on Friday that he planned to bring a
langsuir - a deadly Malay banshee - to life in three weeks to silence
doubters.

Organisers say the exhibition is
aimed at educating the public
"We are currently facing opposition from religious bodies but I will
bring the exhibit to life. I will place the langsuir on a tree and bring
it to life to let observers see it fly and screech," he was quoted as
saying.
Safuan could not be reached for comment.
Amzah stood firm on the museum's decision to hold the exhibition. "Our
exhibition is aimed at educating the public on the existence of the
supernatural world. It is not against Islam, we should take it as
education and entertainment," he said.

The exhibition is expected to end on October 4 but Amzah said the museum
may close it by September 15 in advance of the Ramadan fasting month for
Muslims, who make up about 60% of Malaysia's 26 million population.
"It's not proper to hold such an exhibition during fasting month," he
said.

The museum has said it expects a million visitors to the exhibition.