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Malaysian politician calls for cancellation of Ed Sheeran gig over singer’s “LGBT ideology”
The artist’s Mathematics world tour is due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on 24 February.
Image: Timothy Norris / Getty Images
The Malaysian Islamic Party has called on the government to ban Ed Sheeran’s upcoming concert in the country due to his supposed “LGBT ideology”.
Sheeran’s Mathematics world tour, which arrives in Kuala Lumpur later this month ahead of the Muslim festival Ramadan, has been described by DUPP (Central Ulama Council) chief Datuk Ahmad Yahaya as something that would “pollute the sanctity” of the holiday [per MalayMail].
“DUPP urges the government to take a firm stand by cancelling the concert by a Western artist when Muslims are on the verge of Ramadan,” Yahaya says.
“More saddening is that not only will the organisation of the concert pollute the sanctity of the month of Ramadan which is approaching, but the invited artist has a background of LGBT ideology which is firmly rejected by Malaysia.”
“Do we not learn from past mistakes? Are we becoming more and more desensitised, especially when the performance is scheduled when Muslims are preparing to usher in Ramadan?” the politician says, referencing the uproar caused after 1975 frontman Matt Healy kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald onstage during last year’s Good Vibes Festival.
Healy’s action led to the immediate cancellation of the three-day festival, and the band later faced a lawsuit from the organiser seeking $2.7 million in damages.
“As such, DUPP urges the government to never allow the performance of any pro-LGBT Western artists to respect the glory of the month of Ramadan,” Yahaya continues.
It’s unclear yet whether the Malaysian government will be swayed by Yahaya and the Malaysian Islamic Party into cancelling the upcoming Ed Sheeran concert at Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Jalil National Stadium on 24 February. As it stands, tickets are still available to purchase via Sheeran’s website.
In other news, Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth has confirmed that the band’s highly-anticipated collaboration with Ed Sheeran will arrive later this year as part of their forthcoming album.
Rumours of the project originally began to circulate after Sheeran revealed that he grew up listening to the likes of Cradle Of Filth and Slipknot, and would be open to getting involved in a metal collaboration.
In a new interview with Pelna Kulturka [via Kerrang! Radio], Filth shared that the collaboration will land as one of the “surprises” on the band’s new record: “Well, one of the surprises, obviously, but it’s not so much a surprise is that we’ve got a song that we have Ed Sheeran guesting on.”
“People have heard it and loved it. But it is what you imagine – it’s Cradle Of Filth and it’s Ed Sheeran. It sounds like Ed Sheeran, it sounds like Cradle Of Filth. There’s a blast beat in it.”