Non-Muslims Also Laud Cancellation of Erykah Badu's Concert in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 29 (Bernama) -- The government's move to cancel the Erykah Badu concert scheduled for Wednesday night following Monday's publication of the singer's picture offensive to Muslims has been hailed by non-Muslims as well. The strict action of the government, through the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture, was right, they said, expressing the view that if the show was allowed to go on, it would hurt Muslims more and imply bad governance. The Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia (Huazhong) said the cancellation emphasised how important it is for international artistes to respect guidelines. "If the government withdraws the cancellation, there's a possibility that a group of people might protest the decision, creating havoc outside the venue, and since she's an international superstar, Malaysia's image will be tarnished," said its deputy secretary-general, Dr Chin Yew Sin, when contacted by Bernama Wednesday. A photograph of Erykah Badu, 40, published in English daily The Star newspaper on Monday created an uproar among Muslims in the country. The photograph of the funk, hip hop and soul singer from Dallas, Texas, who had won a Grammy award, showed various body painting marks, including an image of the word "Allah" on the artiste's shoulder areas. The Star apologised to its readers after having been summoned by the Home Ministry to explain the use of the photograph in the newspaper. Chin stressed that promoters should be responsible enough to ensure that the guidelines are met in order to prevent inappropriate and misleading things from happening. Ex-journalist Joe Lee, who is also an entertainment observer and blogs for klubkidd.com, pointed out that even if it was important to respect sensitivity, the government also must take necessary action against the newspaper which had caused the disturbance. "I do understand the position they're taking and they have to, but if the government wants to be fair, cancelling the concert alone won't be enough, unless prudent action is taken against the one who started it in the first place," he said. Lee also stressed that the cancellation would not be enough to prevent the same things from happening again in the future, unless, the government comes out with clearer guidelines. -- BERNAMA