Some interpretations of a new music video from rapper Namewee entitled "Oh My God" is that it insults various religions, however the artist said it was meant to promote religious harmony.
The video features four men dressed as Jesus Christ, fifth century Buddhist monk Xuan Zang, a Taoist priest and a gun-toting man wearing a white robe and headgear, reports The Star. The clip, which was uploaded on YouTube Sunday, has had 381,720 views at the time this article was published.
"We combined the four main religions, travelling and having a great time together, it's a rare picture," he said about the video. "We just want to promote harmony within all religions. Many countries are having religious issues, some countries have conflicts which have continued without reconciliation."
Namewee said he is aware the video might be banned in Malaysia.
The 33-year-old music artist, whose birth name is Wee Meng Chee, is a Malaysian Chinese of Hainanese descent. He is widely known as Namewee, a bilingual pun on his Mandarin name, which sounds like the Mandarin term for "name."
The 4-minute-long "Oh My God" clip, directed and produced by Namewee, features a Taiwanese band called Nine-One-One, and was shot in places of worship in Penang. The video starts with the "azan" (call for prayer), a church choir and the ringing of Buddhist meditation gongs, as well as Hindu temple bells.
Namewee then loosely uses faith-oriented terms, such as "Namo Amitabha," (referencing means boundless light and infinite life in Buddhism), "Hallelujah," "Om Mani Padme Hum" and "Allah".
The clip also has a scene in which the Jesus character plays pool, using the cross as his cue, and Xuan Zang uses his staff.
Namewee, who previously rapped the Malaysian national anthem in a condescending manner, said this video clip was shot in a similar manner to allow all religions to open their hearts and be accepting.
Recently, he was nominated for the 27th Golden Melody Award.
Since 2012, he launched and has hosted an online show entitled Namewee Tokok, indicating that he hopes through this program, Malaysians could have a different perspective on viewing various issues and news in Malaysia after the mass media of the country was consolidated by the government.
