Selangor's Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has asked Religious Affairs Minister Idris Ahmad to attend the Bon Odori event in Shah Alam next week.

This is after the sultan disagreed with the minister's view that the event was religious in nature.

"His Majesty suggests that the minister attend the Bon Odori celebration on July 16... so that he can understand the difference between religion and culture," the monarch said in a statement today.