Simon Soon
From 1917 -1920, proponents of reformed Islam mounted a campaign to outlaw boria performances. Such calls began in Kedah reached Penang as the decade came to a close.
In 1920, Sheikh Zakaria bin Omar Basheer (a mufti), Tuan Haji Daud bin Tamim and Tuan Haji Mustapha bin Ismail (a kadhi) issued a fatwa entitled 'Surat Kuning' [Yellow Letter] which declared a prohibition on boria. The fatwa was posted in three strategic mosques in the Georgetown area. It was later simplified and 500 copies distributed to the Muslim community in Penang. In addition, these ulama and other religiously respected Malays made efforts to advise the Muslims on the evils of boria.
The fatwa and the efforts by these ulama combined to considerably reduce the number of boria performances that year. Whole villages began to reject boria , such as Kampong Kolam and Kampong Jawa, after being advised by Tuan Haji Abdul Kadir and Tuan Haji Daud.
