Wanita PKR Agrees with Erykah Badu Ban

(MALAYSIAN DIGEST) – Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin said if an artist is known to have incorporated elements of pornography or that which conflict with Islamic law, then his or her concert should not be allowed to be held in the country.

Zuraida said this when asked by Malaysian Digest to comment on the decision by Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim to cancel the concert of American artist Erykah Badu, which was scheduled for yesterday night.

The Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Women’s Chief said having a tattoo of the word ‘Allah’ is totally contrary to Islamic teachings and it should not be used indiscriminately.
 
The Star newspaper yesterday had published various a photo of Badu with body paints of the word Allah on her body.

The photo has created an uproar among some Muslims.

The Star, however, apologized to its readers after having been summoned by the Home Ministry to explain the use of the photograph in the newspaper.

The newspaper also has suspended two editors in connection with the publication of the photograph.

Star2 senior editor Lim Cheng Hoe and deputy editor Daryl Goh, who had approved the use of the photo in Monday’s edition of Star2, have been suspended with immediate effect and indefinitely.

Commenting on that, Zuraida said it was not appropriate to suspend the two editors.

She also suggested to the paper’s management to create a special division to look after the affairs and Islamic sensitivity.

“It is not appropriate to suspend them (the editors) because they may not realize they had made a mistake. In my opinion, they should be briefed to avoid the same thing from happening again in the future,” said Zuraida.