Thursday, May 31, 2012

Cancelled Lady Gaga concert gives Indonesia "international black eye..."

Three days after rock diva Lady Gaga cancelled her sold-out concert on concerns that Islamic militants might commit violence, the fallout continues in Jakarta, with the two English-language dailies taking radically different stances and with international dismay growing at the country’s rising radicalism.

The abandonment of the concert by one of the world’s most popular pop stars, provocative as she is, has earned the country, usually described as the world’s most tolerant Muslim society, an international black eye. Some 52,000 tickets had been sold for the event, scheduled for Sunday. Although the 26-year-old singer has faced protests from Christian groups at her shows in the Philippines and South Korea, they have been allowed to continue and have gone off without incident. She was scheduled to fly to Jakarta after playing three shows in Singapore, then fly to New Zealand and Australia and on to Europe.

 Gaga issued an apology to her Indonesian fans on Twitter, saying she was “just as devastated as you if not more. You are everything to me. I will try to put together something special for you. My love for Indonesia has only grown.” She had said earlier that she wouldn’t tone down her shows to accommodate the Indonesian audience. Some 90 percent of Indonesians are Muslims, although just how Muslim they are is open to question. Much of Indonesian Islam is a mixture of animism and witchcraft. Other pop stars including Beyonce and the Pussycat Dolls have performed there, although they reportedly agreed to tone down their dress. Full story...

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  3. Mob in Indonesia attacks and kills 3 'heretic' Muslims...
  4. Indonesia Ahmadiyah killings: victim jailed for defending himself...
  5. Malaysia gags Lady Gaga, garbles gay lyrics of "Born This Way"
  6. Lady Gaga Day declared in Taiwan city!!!
  7. Is Lady Gaga a danger to mental health?

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