Haram Pop Stars

This is a very short list, but I'll expand it as I find more of them. Feel free to email me with any more examples of haram pop stars.

Lady Gaga

It is funny how the media like to make a big deal of a few Christians and Buddhists in the Philippines and Thailand protesting her concert. Unlike her planned performance in Indonesia, she didn't receive threats of violence and her concert was not banned. Over in neighboring Malaysia, Lady GaGa's lyrics in 'Born This Way' were censored due to its "offensive" pro-gay message. In addition to all that, Christians in Indonesia actually supported Lady Gaga's visit. 

A high-ranking member of Indonesia’s highest Islamic authority has urged Muslims not to attend Lady Gaga’s upcoming concert in Jakarta, declaring that the pop star known for her sexy and controversial outfits was forbidden under Islamic law.

“[The concert is] intended to destroy the nation’s morality,” said Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) chairman Cholil Ridwan, who added that he had never watched the singer perform and only heard of her “reputation” second-hand.

He urged Lady Gaga fans to return their tickets for the June 3 concert at Gelora Bung Karno and ask for a refund.

More than 25,000 tickets to the Jakarta leg of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way Ball” tour were sold in less than two hours on March 10, the first day the tickets were available.

Cholil took exception with Lady Gaga’s revealing outfits and sexualized dance moves, claiming that a female dangdut singer who wore similar costumes would also be haram.

But he claimed Lady Gaga was worse. "She is from the West, and she often shows her aurat [private parts of the body] when performing," Cholil said.

While he was aware that many Western singers have already performed in Indonesia, Cholil said maybe it was time to put an end to these "cultural attacks."

He worried that this kind of performance would only encourage young Muslims in the country to do the same. But he added that watching the concert was still the call of Indonesia's Muslim youth.

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/lady-gagas-jakarta-concert-is-haram-declares-mui-chairman/505557

Adam Lambert

Malaysia's Islamist opposition party on Monday demanded that authorities cancel a planned concert by U.S. glam rocker Adam Lambert that they say is promoting "gay culture" in the mainly Muslim country.

The Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has also threatened to call "as many of its members and supporters" to proselytize to concert-goers if the performance by the former "American Idol" runner-up goes ahead on Thursday, a party official said.

"Adam Lambert's shows... are outrageous, with lewd dancing and a gay performance that includes kissing male dancers, this is not good for people in our country," said PAS Youth leader Nasrudin Hasan. Homosexual sex is a criminal offence in Malaysia.

PAS is Malaysia's second-largest political party with close to a million members and is a partner in a rainbow opposition grouping led by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/11/us-malaysia-protest-idUSTRE69A1LE20101011

Elton John

Shahril Azman Abdul Halim Al-Hafiz, an official with the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), said the concert by singer Elton John at the Genting Highlands resort on Nov. 22 would corrupt young Muslims because of John's homosexuality.

"It's not good. In Islam homosexuality is forbidden," he told AFP. "What he is doing is hedonism. Hedonism is not good in Islam."

The British singer is openly gay, marrying his partner in 2005 after same-sex unions were legalised in Britain.

Shahril is the chairman of the PAS youth wing of eastern Pahang state. The casino resort lies on the border of the state, about an hour's drive from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

An official from concert promoter Tune Live declined to comment.

But the show, part of John's "Greatest Hits Tour," is expected to go ahead in the resort. John will be singing in Singapore before he comes to Malaysia and then go on to Jakarta.

PAS often protests concert by Western acts, saying the artists promote a promiscuous lifestyle and corrupt youngsters' minds.

But despite protest threats, most concerts have gone ahead without incidents though performers had to abide by strict rules, barring them from bearing too much skin and kissing on stage.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/25054/World/International/Malaysian-Islamic-party-protests-Elton-John-show.aspx

Freddie Mercury

Launch Radio Networks reports: A celebration planned for this weekend in Zanzibar to honor native son Freddie Mercury has been called off due to religious protests. The population of the Tanzanian islands off the East Coast of Africa is primarily Islamic, and conservative Muslims threatened to disrupt the event, which would have marked the 60th anniversary of the late QUEEN singer's birth, according to the AFP news agency. Sheikh Azzan Hamdani of the local Association For Islamic Mobilization And Propagation said, "We were ready to join forces against the party because we had information that a number of gays from abroad had come to take part."

Organizer Simai Mohamed Saidi said, "We have decided to cancel the party after misleading and erroneous information was spread about it. I urge Muslim groups in the future to seek correct information from us instead of relying on rumors." Saidi, who owns the "Mercury's" theme restaurant in Zanzibar, had also intended to use the party to raise money for people with HIV/AIDS.

Local religious leaders felt that honoring Mercury, who was gay and who died of AIDS in 1991, would have gone against their faith, and that it would have brought shame to Zanzibar, where Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946.

The local government had been asked to close the party down before it started. Officials, who never formally responded to the request, are said to walk a fine line between the needs of people who lead a secular lifestyle, a busy tourist industry, and religious conservatives. However, media outlets that are overseen by the government were told by the information ministry not to cover Saidi's Mercury event.

http://legacy.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=57586

Others

Foreign acts often draw protests from PAS, which since 2007 has campaigned against performances by singers including Beyonce, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne and Mariah Carey.

Police in May broke up a demonstration by Islamists including PAS supporters protesting against a concert by U.S. rapper Pitbull, underscoring a deepening tide of Islamic conservatism in the country.

An official from Malaysia's Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry was reported saying that the singer, had signed a contract agreeing to abide by the Ministry's rules on performances, which can require foreign performers to tone down their acts to suit local sensibilities.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/11/us-malaysia-protest-idUSTRE69A1LE20101011

Lady Gaga's Sold-Out Indonesia Concert Banned Due to Muslim Opposition and Threats

A high-ranking member of Indonesia’s highest Islamic authority had previously deemed her shows to be "haram". She's not the first "haram popstar", and certainly will not be the last. When I get some free time I will make a post covering some of the other condemned stars (some who aren't even left alone even after they're dead).

From the Jakarta Globe:

Pop star Lady Gaga’s upcoming Jakarta concert was canceled by the National Police on Tuesday amid harsh protest from Indonesia’s hard-line Islamist organizations.

“The National Police said verbally that [the concert] would not be permitted,” Jakarta police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said.

The Jakarta Police previously recommended canceling the sold-out concert in response to public opposition.

Lady Gaga’s planned concert pitted Indonesia’s “little monsters” against the nation’s hard-line Islamist organizations.

Ticket sales were strong, with concert selling some 52,000 tickets in two weeks. Promoter Big Daddy released another 2,000 tickets on Monday.

But hard-line groups like the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) have rallied against the concert — Lady Gaga’s first in Indonesia — calling the pop diva a “dangerous” influence on Indonesia’s youth. The organization’s Jakarta chairman Salim Alatas told Agence France-Presse that FPI members would mobilize 30,000 supporters to forcibly prevent Lady Gaga from stepping off her plane.

“We will stop her from setting foot on our land. She had better not dare spread her satanic faith in this country,” FPI Jakarta chairman Salim Alatas told AFP. “Her style is vulgar, her sexual and indecent clothes will destroy our children’s sense of morality. She’s very dangerous.”

The Muslim Defenders Team, a legal aid organization known for representing Islamist and terrorist groups, claimed that Lady Gaga teaches fans to worship the devil.

Michael Rusli, president director of Big Daddy, dismissed the claims as ridiculous on Monday as he announced the release of an additional 2,000 tickets.

Michael was not available for immediate comment on Tuesday.

The Indonesian Council of Churches (PGI), a Christian organization, threw its support behind the concert on Tuesday, explaining that Indonesia’s constitution protects freedom of expression. Gomar Gultom, secretary general of the PGI, said that it was the job of religious leaders — not pop stars or the police — to keep the nation’s moral fiber intact.

“It is the duty of religious figures to guide people to have a clear mind and stand against pornographic temptations,” he said.

The June 3 concert was planned for Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

Although the concert was canceled in Jakarta, Lady Gaga could perform in another Indonesian city, as long as local police supported the event, the Indonesian news portal Detik.com reported.

TheRationalizer: Translation Help Needed

I came across this message today. TheRationalizer is someone who has been instrumental in refuting the various false claims of "Western scientists find scientific miracles in the Qur'an" .

From the FFI Forum:

Hi all

Many of you have probably seen the videos with titles such as "Western scientists confirm miraculous nature of Quran" - where scientists appear to be commenting on how there is information in the Quran which could not possibly be in there except via divine revelation.

I've tracked down a number of these scientists and so far had 4 agree to be interviewed on the subject. You can see the interviews here - I have spent time writing up English subtitles for these videos (the first 3 anyway), and what I really need is to find volunteers to translate these subtitles into other languages. No special software is required, you should be able to use Notepad in Windows.

If you can help then please email ThisIsTheTruthUncut - add an @ to the end of that, followed by a dot and the word COM

Thank you.

TheRationalizer

Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam Calling for the Murder of Salman Rushdie

Today was the first time I had viewed this video, so I thought I'd post it here. The "matter-of factly" manner in which he expresses his hate in front of the police and the entire UK is extremely shocking.

First a little background information from WikiIslam:

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie caused a storm in 1988, with the release of his fourth novel The Satanic Verses. Muslims were offended even by its title, thinking it implied that the Qur'an was "the work of the Devil." 

It was subsequently banned in India, Bangladesh, Sudan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Thailand, Tanzania, Indonesia, Singapore, and Venezuela following the angry and violent reaction from Muslims.

In America, numerous bookstores received threats, and two bookstores were bombed for stocking the novel. In addition, the Riverdale Press newspaper office was bombed in retaliation for criticising the many stores which decided to pull the novel from their shelves. 

In the UK, there were six separate bombings at various bookstores in London and York, and an additional three stores around the UK discovered unexploded devices on their premises. This unexpected level of violence resulted in almost no-one daring to sell the novel openly in the UK. 

In 1989 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill Rushdie, and Ayatollah Hassan Saneii in 2003 offered a bounty of $3 million to whomever accomplishes the task. In 2003, the Revolutionary Guards of Iran renewed the fatwa. 

Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) voiced his support for the fatwa, as did many Western Islamic bodies, such as the European Union of Islamic Students` Associations which issued a statement offering its services to Khomeini, and the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain. 

The Japanese translator of his novel was stabbed to death, the Italian translator seriously wounded, the Norwegian publisher seriously injured in a shooting, and thirty-seven people were also burnt to death by a mob of 2,000 Muslims in a Turkish hotel for their refusal to hand over the Turkish translator of the novel.

Fresh protests were sparked around the world following Salman Rushdie's knighthood in 2007. The Pakistani Ulema Council, a body claiming to be the biggest of its kind in Pakistan with 2000 scholars, announced that they had awarded Osama bin Laden with the title Saifullah (Sword of Allah), their highest honour, in response to the knighthood, calling Bin Laden a “ Muslim warrior “. 

Effigies of the writer were publicly burnt in Pakistan and Malaysia, and further bounties were offered from Iran and Pakistan. Some have linked the knighthood to the 2007 attempted car bombings in London.

Video description:

Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam has tried to get this video (in which he clearly calls for the murder of Salman Rushdie) removed and banned from wherever it has been posted on the internet. He also categorically denies ever calling for the murder of Salman Rushdie.

Yusuf Islam commented on this matter by posting the following statement on his own website - "I never called for the death of Salman Rushdie; nor backed the Fatwa issued by the Ayatollah Khomeini - and still don't. The book itself destroyed the harmony between peoples and created an unnecessary international crisis."

See the video and decide for yourself whether Yusuf Islam is lying and trying to re-write history.

I do not know how long this video will remain posted until Yusuf Islam has it removed so please post/re-post and forward this video as much as possible so that this man can not get away with such blatant Taqiyya. Please help to show the world what so often happens to a human mind when it becomes infected with Islam.

This is a man famous for the song "Peace Train" - but all we see here is the Islamic version of "peace".