Muslim Complaints Force Beyonce to Delay Malaysia Show

Though she has a concert planned for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it appears that Beyonce Knowles will have to postpone or even cancel the event. The concert planners noted yesterday that Islamic conservatives in the country are arguing that Knowles’ show would be immoral. The show, which was scheduled for October 25 at Kuala Lumpur stadium, was sure to be popular but controversial in a country where Muslims prefer women to be well-covered, a stark contrast to Beyonce, who is known as much for her revealing outfits and sex-driven dance moves as for her music.

A statement released by Marctensia, the Malaysian entertainment company in charge of the show on the Malaysian side, noted, "The postponement is solely the decision of the artist and has nothing to do with other external reasons." When asked, a representative for Marctensia did not say whether the decision was influenced by the criticism that the planned show had evoked. The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party has called for the cancellation of the show, noting that it would promote "Western sexy performances." Really, that’s what they said – we couldn’t make this up if we tried.

This isn’t the first time Beyonce has postponed or cancelled a show in Malaysia. In 2007, protests and threats by an opposition Islamic party caused her to cancel a show, though at that time, it was noted that the cancellation was due to a "scheduling conflict." Malaysian rules, put forth by that country’s government, require that female performers wear clothing that covers from their shoulders to their knees. Avril Lavigne and Gwen Stefani have both performed in the country, though they did comply with those rules and wore clothing that would be considered quite staid by U.S. standards.