Lady Gaga’s Concert ‘Forbidden’ in Indonesia?
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PRNewsFoto/Interscope Records(JAKARTA, Indonesia) — Western pop stars who perform in Indonesia often come under fire for their choice of attire and stage behavior. Now it’s Lady Gaga’s turn.
The singer plans to take her Born This Way ball to Jakarta, Indonesia on June 3, but a high-ranking member of Indonesia’s Islamic authority is urging fans to return their tickets, saying her concert is “haram,” or forbidden under Islamic law.
The Jakarta Globe reports that Cholil Ridwan, chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulema, declared that Gaga’s concert is “intended to destroy the nation’s morality” because of her revealing outfits and sexy dance moves. He added that Gaga “often shows her [private parts] while performing.”
While urging fans to return the more than 25,000 tickets that were sold for the show and ask for a refund, Ridwan admitted that he himself had never actually seen Gaga perform and had only heard about what she does “second-hand.”
Another chairman of the same council, however, said that he had no problem with young Muslims attending the show. He noted that Ridwan’s feelings about Lady Gaga were his personal opinion, so the organization isn’t condemning the show outright. He did add, though, “I hope Lady Gaga can also wear a proper [dress] in her show.”
An imam of an Indonesian mosque told the paper that while Lady Gaga herself is not forbidden by Islamic law, watching a barely-clothed woman perform is.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio