Protests against Elton
Members of the Malaysian Islamic Party have protested against singer Elton John’s performance in the country. The group had sought to have John’s concert banned, but decided to protest on World AIDS Day, December 1 – two days after the performance – after their memorandum to the government failed.
The Malaysia Times reports that a spokesman for the party said that John promotes “hedonism” and they felt a need to “continually remind all Muslims, particularly youths, not to get involved in matters that can drag them into vice.”
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia, with penalties including caning and up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
Just last month, the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, Rosmah Mansor, was criticised for defending her country’s discriminatory laws against homosexuality.
“You have to nip [homosexuality] in the bud. If you don’t, when the time comes and you have to stop [homosexuality], you will find it’s too late,” she told the Phnom Penh Post.
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