Mariah Carey meets Islam

Even before Janet Jackson's top got undone before 140 million Super Bowl viewers, Islamic leaders were protesting upcoming scheduled appearances of one of Jackson's pop contemporaries in Lebanon and Malaysia later this month.

Malaysia's Muslim opposition party is calling for the cancellation of a Feb. 22 concert by Mariah Carey in Kuala Lumpur. Two days later, Carey performs her first concert in the Arab world when she appears in Beirut, Lebanon.

"Everyone knows Mariah Carey presents herself in a sexy, unacceptable and almost vulgar manner," said Ahmad Sabki Yusof, a leader of the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party's youth wing. "She is not an appropriate role model for young Malaysians."

To make matters worse, say the Islamists, Carey's performance is scheduled for the start of the new year in the Muslim calendar – a religious holiday in Malaysia.

"Allowing such concerts promotes and condones values that are totally contrary to our way of life and our culture," said Sabki. "We don't want immoral values for our children, whether Muslim or not."

The government's position is to welcome Carey, but to advise her and other pop performers to "dress accordingly." Carey has reportedly agreed to dress modestly for her concerts in the Muslim world.

While American pop music is popular in Malaysia, some performers have been banned in the past. Janet Jackson's brother Michael, for instance, was prohibited from appearing in Selangor state in 1996, but a concert did take place in Kuala Lumpur. The most recent Western rock concert in Malaysia was by Linkin Park last year. The band was required not to scream too much or bare their chests during the concert.

Sabki's group sent a formal letter to Tourism Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir protesting Carey's appearance.

"To allow a western artist, especially Mariah Carey, who is well-know for her sexy clothing, to perform on Awal Muharram is disrespecting the sensitivities of Mulsims and can be seen as challenging the status of Islam as Malaysia's official religion," said the letter. "We cannot accept such an immoral concert to be held on Awam Muharram or on any other days. ... It is not only an insult to Muslims but will encourage moral degradation especially among youths."

Besides the Kuala Lumpur and Beirut appearances, Carey is scheduled for concerts in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dubai and is working out details for one in Brunei. The Asian tour, which will also take her to China, is part of efforts to promote her latest album Charmbracelet.

Malaysia is a Southeast Asian nation with about 25 million people – 60 percent of whom practice Islam.

Source: World Net Daily

Since Mariah split from Tommy.. she apparently forgot how to dress. I guess she also forgot how to buy clothes in her size..
For the past few years, she just looks like a pig and exudes NO class...

I can see why she'd want to tour Asia. Any western artist who is reasonably good and puts serious effort to promote themselves here will do well. It's a big market too, perhaps several hundred million in South-East Asia. I kind of snigger when all these huge artists consider themselves international superstars, but go and do a survey around this region and I'll bet you 99% of people have never heard of Prince, for example.

Anyway, it can be treacherous, especially for a female singer, to be excepted here. Christina Aguilera played her cards wrongly with her film-clip for Dirrty - she danced like a whore (a comment I read in a Thai forum) and the walls had Thai scrawled on them saying 'Young girls sold to the Thai sex industry'. There goes a market of 65 million people.

It's not surprising that Michael was banned from Selangor state; they practice strict Muslim law there, so strict that women and men aren't allowed to perform on the same stage...

behind all these bs there's the oppression of the woman

Harlepolis said:

ROFL! Sums up the American press, and the public! They need to be told about geographical locations!

Here's a novel idea for America:

Stop trying to "save" everyone else and work on helping:

- your battered women
- your homeless
- your criminally underfunded medicare system
- eliminate your political and corporate corrutpion
- your poor
- your children, who need to be properly educated and have proper access to post-secondary education
- eliminate racism
- eliminate massive excesses in the Pentagon's budget (the War Machine is now 20% of the American economy...is it any wonder they need a war every 10 years or so?)

and on and on and on...

Because the Muslims are doing just fine. And have been since 600 AD, miraculously. Without American help.

And if "liberation" means forcing a predominantly orthodox Muslim populace to "like" and "accept" a scantily-clad woman on stage (something they would not do), then we should examine our own values. Our culture is hypersexed as it is. We really can't complain if they're undersexed -as long as they're happy the way they are, let's leave them alone.
[This message was edited Fri Feb 13 16:38:24 PST 2004 by VoicesCarry]

Harlepolis said:

Well it looks like Mariah will be doing a lot of clothes shopping before the concert because I know she doesn't have anything that resembles "modest" in her current wardrobe.

wow, the radical conservative religious fringe of the world finally get it right.


but i suppose if you throw a thousand inappropriate things against a wall, chances are one of them will stick.


Mariah's a nasty ho. glad somebody's finally doing something about it.


.
[This message was edited Fri Feb 13 20:27:40 PST 2004 by GrayKing]

VoicesCarry said:

Right on.

It's two sides of the same coin operating here. In a grossly general view Western Culture is sex-obsessed and devoid of morals whereas the Muslim culture is repressive. Equal and opposite reactions to the incredible void in this world-- one I suspect created by industrialization and enterprise. In and of itself nothing is wrong with Mariah showing her body off. The problem is the reaction to it. Those that want her to take it all off so they can do whatever and those that want her fully clothed so they can hide their shame in wanting sex are equally unhealthy.

You've got to ask yourself why you feel one way or the other because Mariah's body is, for the most part anyway, a creation of God and nothing is wrong with it.

CinisterCee said:

I second that 100%

I'm recently in some Arabic/Gulf country(Qatar) working in its university(as one of the computer laps staff). I tell ya, I've heard so many bullshit about this country(adding the fact that OUR media who contributed in its bashing) when I came there I saw a WHOLE different inviroment than the one in my own head.

Americans fear what they DON'T understand and of course HATE what they fear, thats what. They're(Arabs) just ordinary people(they just have a different lifestyle and way of thinking thats all) believe it or not, they're WAAAY happier & mellow than us.

But the fact that we don't expect anything DIFFERENT than us rather than respecting other people's choices of living and the fact that we worry about cleaning people's backyards instead of worrying about our own makes our the country the most fucked up place on this bitter earth.

I AGREE WITH WHAT VOICESCARRY AND HARLEPOLIS ARE SAYING
But the point is if 60 thousand people want to see the concert, why shouldn't they be alowed to!
If the majority are against it then they don't have go!
They can't force their beliefs on everyone!

twink69 said:

How long has it been since Mariah's had an audience of 60 thousand? Let me count the years... MSN recently reported that her "intimate tour" led her to a chiropractic convention in NJ (I kid you not). This woman is OVER.
[This message was edited Sat Feb 14 19:52:11 PST 2004 by VoicesCarry]

My opinion on this topic: Whatever...Mariah Carey is the bomb, let's move on!

goat2004 said:

I agree, if girlfriend wants a wear a mini, get over it!!!!

CinisterCee said:

-----
I agree 120%

twink69 said:

Co-Sign...

Let Mariah do her thang up in the Middle East shes doing it. Love Her.