A group of Islamic movement has sent a letter to the ministry, calling a cancellation of Avril Lavigne's concert on August 29.
- Aug 18, 2008
AceShowbiz - Some people in Malaysia apparently are still determined to select appropriate western artists to perform in their country. Avril Lavigne who is scheduled to perform in the capital city on August 29, has been the object of protest from Islamic movement who call themselves Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party.
"It is considered too sexy for us. ... It's not good for viewers in Malaysia," said Kamarulzaman Mohamed, an official officer from the party. "We don't want our people, our teenagers, influenced by their performance. We want clean artists, artists that are good role models." Mohamed added that such act won't be appropriate in the wake of Malaysia's independence day on August 31.
Pan-Malaysian has sent a protest letter to the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and the Kuala Lumpur mayor last week, urging them to call off the concert while permission for it is not yet given by the government. According to the associated press, the ministry will have a meeting on Tuesday, August 19 to consider the appeal. Meanwhile, reaction from the organizers of the concert was simply denying that Avril's act contain any "negative elements".
Last year, Gwen Stefani had to take a diplomatic step responding to a group of conservative Muslim students in Malaysia that protested against her "obscene" attire. She decided not to wear revealing costumes for her concert. While Gwen was still considerate, Beyonce Knowles wasn't. Instead of agreeing on the strict dress rule, the R 'n' B star moved her concert from the country to Indonesia.
