Religion has had a steady influence over music ever since the art form was created. According to Yahoo, hip hop artists The Black Eyes Peas, recently went up against the Malaysian government to allow Muslim fans to attend one of their upcoming concerts. It sounds a bit extreme but the conflict stemmed from the fact that one of the major promoters of the event is an alcoholic beverage company.
The Black Eyed Peas concert is backed by Irish beer giant, Guinness. Malaysian government regulations forbid alcohol companies from organizing public concerts, but late last week the ban was lifted and an official letter was sent out to vendors. No specifics were given as to why there was a sudden change of heart, but many suspect that money had something to do with it.
This concert will be a part of the worldwide celebration marking the 250th anniversary of Guinness’ flagship brewery in Dublin. The selling of concert tickets was allowed in order to boost tourism, although with the initial condition that Muslims would be kept away. But ticket sales opened to Muslims on Wednesday for the September 25th show with little to no warning.
The BEP concert is just one of the many conflicts that conservative and modern Malaysian Muslims have been battling over. Over 60 percent of the 28 million citizens are Muslims who are governed by Islamic Shariah laws. Ethnic Chinese, Indians and other non-Muslims are governed by civil laws and can buy and drink alcohol.
This is insanity. Keeping religion, politics, and entertainment separate is easier said than done.
What do you think about the Malaysian government lifting the ban off the Black Eyed Peas?
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