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Published: Tuesday February 15, 2011 MYT 6:55:00 PMUpdated: Tuesday February 15, 2011 MYT 6:58:50 PM
PETALING JAYA: The concert by Iranian singer Mohsen Namjoo scheduled here for Friday has been cancelled.
"The Government will not allow the concert, scheduled to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, because it is not appropriate in terms of religion, culture and the country's cosmopolitan nature," Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said in a statement Tuesday.
He said the application to stage the concert from the organisers was rejected Tuesday at a meeting of the committee of the Central Agency for the Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes (Puspal).
In June 2009, Mohsen was reportedly sentenced to five years' jail by a court in Iran for ridiculing Islam and the Quran in his songs, but escaped the sentence because he was residing in Vienna.
PAS Youth has supported the Government's decision to revoke Mohsen's concert permit.
"His presence in the country will offend Muslims as he is known to have ridiculed Islam and the Quran in his past performance," PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi said in a statement.
According to the press statement, Mohsen was once described as the "Iranian Bob Dylan" by the New York Times.
PAS Youth also urged the Government to carry a background check on all international artistes before they were allowed to perform in Malaysia.
"Any artiste who hold any records for insulting Islam, sparking racial tension and performing sexually explicit shows should be banned," Nasrudin said.
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