CAIRO, Egypt - As Egypt gears for pop diva Beyonce Knowles' first performance in North Africa, Islamic conservatives are branding her show an "insolent sex party" that threatens the Muslim nation's "social peace and stability."

On giant posters plastered across the Egyptian capital advertising the Friday evening concert, Beyonce sports a revealing, flame-covered outfit and grips a set of motorcycle handlebars extending from her hips - a sharp contrast to Cairo streets, where most women wear the traditional Muslim headscarves.

TV ads promoting the show, part of Beyonce's "I Am ..." world tour, have run on Egyptian and Arab satellite stations. The tour, which also took Beyonce to the United Arab Emirates last week, had grossed $53.5 million as of October, according to Billboard magazine.

But in Egypt, Islamic lawmakers and their supporters have waged campaigns on social networking Web sites, accusing the government of encouraging debauchery and calling for the concert's cancellation.

"Why are you encouraging this insolent sex party?" lawmaker Hamdi Hassan from the opposition Muslim Brotherhood wrote in a letter to the government. "You are accused of disturbing social peace and stability, encouraging vice and debauchery."

Another Islamic lawmaker, Ali Laban, called for banning the "nudity concert." A Facebook campaign against Beyonce's concert collected nearly 10,000 supporters.

But the war of words has not derailed the glitzy concert, due hundreds of miles south of Cairo in the luxury Red Sea resort of Port Ghalib. Organizers said "ultra" security will be deployed to protect the thousands of concertgoers.

Beyonce cancelled her stop in Malaysia last month following opposition from a conservative Islamic party. Malaysia requires female artists to cover up from the shoulders to the knees and bans any showing of cleavage.

Egypt, the Arab world's most populous country, is torn between a growing secular and economically prosperous class and a large mainly conservative, poor population. The government has been squeezing Islamic conservatives with security crackdowns and administrative measures aimed at curbing outward manifestations of conservatism.

Beyonce's event organizer Ahmed Beltagi said tourism and police officials co-operated to make the concert happen because they believe it's a way to promote Egypt as a centre of culture, entertainment and art.

"We are Muslims too ... this will not stop Egypt from hosting an award-winning, first class artist," Beltagi said.

"We should salute her instead of criticizing her," he said of the diva.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/...le_beyonce

BlaqueKnight said:

Much to about nothing. I sure Beyoncé will tone it down in some aspects. But like the article stated, the well to do will be going to the concert. Like all countries, I don't care how conservative they are the middele class/wealth kinda do what they want to. Different rules.....

If they make it inconvenient/unsafe enough for her, she will cancel. That is how the concert will get derailed, as it did in Malaysia. Many crude acts face these challenges in the Muslim world.

Ain't enough money in the world to make me play in any of those places. She would be a perfect target for anyone wanting to lash out against America. Her daddy is crazy.

Uh... does anyone happen to have a pic with the motorcyle handlebar hips?

sometimes u have to change some things around when u play islamic states, mariah did it, no big deal.

shakira played egypt it was fine.

BlaqueKnight said:

Me too. I would pay good money for that shit.

Bey sings well enough that she doesn't need to rely on the "sexy" to put on a good show. Why not just tone it down?

Superstition said:

ABeautifulOne said:

okay, wasn't that worn for George Michael's Too Funky video? Why is she sporting it now? Next thing we know she is going to be wearing 1814 hats, one white glove or cone bras and playing it off like their her creations.

sosgemini said:

Yeah, we covered all her biteration when this bs came out.

sosgemini said:

She can always hump a bed and have the male dancers wear the cone bras while she simulates an orgasm.
These artists now have no originality and they think they've invented it all. Somebody should have told Kanye that the female lead singer from Animotion wore those glasses first in the video for 'Obsession'.

sosgemini said:

Thierry Mugler is her stylist for the I Am era which explains why she wears the motorcycle thing in the pic...

BklynBabe said:

loved the set and all the red. she looked hot. but i was waiting for her to tear it up ...she didn't.

but i love that song. go Beyoncé!

ABeautifulOne said:

HonestMan13 said:

Wait...when and where did Byonc state that she invented or originated any of this? :confused:

TonyVanDam said:

oh man, I was scrolling down here looking for it and I just KNEW I could count on you to throw this mess up again

sosgemini said:

Who cares? It's just a top. Michael Jackson mimicked his favorite artists and outfits all the time, why can't she?

Is Beyonce Satanic?

Yes, apparently. For those of us working under the assumption that the star is a rip-snorting, all-singing, all-dancing, bootylicious pop flan-flinger, it seems we should think again. There are more sinister forces at work here. That's the judgement of religious figures in Egypt, where the singer unveils her "I Am..." world tour tonight. Muslim leaders have reacted with fury to the prospect of the gig, which they believe is little more than an "insolent sex party".

"The government is trying to make people indulge in sin and licentiousness to cover up the other crimes it is committing against them", fumed a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. "You are accused of disturbing social peace and stability, encouraging vice and debauchery", they ranted. But that's nothing on religious website Jesus-is-saviour.com who smashed the singer's claims of a devout background into another dimension. "Beyonce is NO Christian. She is satanic, serving the Devil", they insist. The former Destiny's Child icon has remained notably silent on the furore, having already been forced to pull a gig in Malaysia last month, after a concerted local protest.

A Facebook campaign against this latest show in the luxury Red Sea resort of Port Ghalib has collected almost 10,000 supporters, although some locals are probably more concerned about the damage to their wallet than their minds, given that tickets are $400 a pop and the average wage is $7 a month. But not everyone is opposed to the gig. Organiser Ahmed Beltagi insisted: "We are Muslims too...this will not stop Egypt from hosting an award-winning, first class artist. We should salute her instead of criticising her." Well, let's hope his more radical countrymen didn't see Beyonce's smokin' display at last night's MTV Awards, which, funnily enough, saw her dressed like she was off to a sex party...

http://new.ca.music.yahoo...e-satanic/

BklynBabe said:

OKAYYY!! The bitch just totally took MJ's VMA performance from 1995



Watch her say "It's a tribute to MJ"

BklynBabe said:

Wtf was that? I was waiting for it to start, then it ended

SCNDLS said:

Agreed times 6.

I can understand why some ultra-religous or conservative people might think this way. I don't agree with it, but Beyonce and many others like her don't have a clue about modesty.

LightOfArt said:

seriously!! what a tease.

midiscover said:

She adored Mike and he adored her so it's obviously a tribute.




[Edited 11/6/09 21:15pm]

OK, I'm not like some big Beyonce fan, think she should do better music than what she puts out and all, but is it really that serious? I do agree that she can still do her show without trying to be too sexy tho.

SCNDLS said:

You're right. I would be very afraid of those places right about now.

I love that Beyonce likes MJ.
Still think she is slutty.
Still think her music is over-rated and generally awful.
Still wish she would retire and never come back.