Indonesian police might be about to shut down a planned Lady Gaga concert which is set to take place next month. The officials are deciding if they should revoke her permit to perform in the country because, after speaking to Muslim Groups, they believe Gaga is simply too provocative. The police released the following statement:
“Our proposal is based on the opinions of Muslim groups who believe that her stage act is not compatible with the culture of our country because we are Muslim. Have you seen her videos? She exposed too much of her skin.”
What is this, the tiny town from Footloose? Apparent so. Yes, Indonesia is mostly a Muslim country (88.2%), and religious traditions should be respected, but those who feel that strongly about Gaga simply don’t have to attend if that is how they feel about it. Then, those who do actually like her are free to enjoy the music they love (50,000 tickets have already been sold), because basically it’s otherwise a weird form of censorship. Muhammad Imdadun Rahmat, deputy secretary general of Nahdlatul Ulama, seems to agree because he thinks a ban is taking things too far:
“The police should not have gone as far as banning the concert. They should not intervene against the freedom of expression.”
