Malaysian mosque bans tourists after video of two women doing a 'sexy dance' outside goes viral

The video shows two women in short shorts and crop-tops doing a barefoot dance on a wall outside the mosque in Kota Kinabalu, on Borneo Island. Photo / Facebook

A mosque in Malaysia has banned all tourists after a video went viral showing two women in skimpy outfits dancing outside.

The video shows two barefoot women dancing in crop tops and short shorts outside the Muslim holy site in the city of Kota Kinabalu, in Borneo Island's Sabah state.

Onlookers can be heard saying "Why don't they just fall off the wall?" in the footage.

Posted by Sabah Info on Saturday, 23 June 2018

The short clip was posted on Facebook where it caused outrage among local residents and prompted a response from the chairman of the mosque.

Talking to Malaysia's Star newspaper, Datuk Jamal Sakaran said tourists were briefed on the rules of the mosque and offered modest traditional dresses, headscarves and hats to wear.

"We opened our doors to visitors because we want to introduce and let the people know the beauty of Islam, but such action has tarnished the image of our religion," he said.

Sakaran said he had closed the mosque to tourists and stopped buses and taxis from visiting the area.

The mosque is a popular stop for tourists visiting Kota Kinabalu before exploring the jungles of Sabah, which are famous for abundant wildlife.

The women in the video were unidentified, but believed to be foreigners.

While an minister of Sabah's tourism department told the Star that "strong action will be taken" against the tourists, State Tourism Minister Christina Liew was quoted in the Straits Times saying that legal action would not be taken, as the women were likely unaware of the severity of their actions.

However, she said authorities still wanted to track the women down to explain "that something they deemed as 'fun' was actually disrespectful and not right in Sabah".

It's not the first time tourists have run into trouble in Sabah. In 2015, four Western tourists pleaded guilty to obscenity charges, after posing naked at the top of Mount Kinabalu. The act was blamed for causing a deadly earthquake that occurred a few days later.