Lady Gaga, Deemed 'Satanic' by Conservative Groups, Is Bullied Out of Indonesia
Dita Alangkara / AP
Muslim men shout slogans during a rally against U.S. pop singer Lady Gaga's concert that is scheduled to be held on June 3, outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 25, 2012.
The show wont go on. Lady Gaga this weekend announced that she is canceling a sold-out concert in Jakarta because of threats of violence from religious hard-liners. The gig, scheduled for June 3, was staunchly opposed by conservative Muslim groups, including the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), that earlier this month vowed to stop the satanic singer from setting foot on Indonesian soil. Somethreatened to buy tickets to wreak havoc in the stadium. The police tried to derail the event by denying a crucial permit, but quickly reversed its decision and promised to push ahead. Gagas camp backed outon Sunday, saying it couldnt keep the singer or her fans safe. Salim Alatas of theFPI called it a victory for Indonesian Muslims: Thanks to God for protecting us from a kind of devil.
There has been much talk of devil worship, much hand-wringing and finger-pointing as the American pop star makes her way across Asia. Faithful Filipinos campaigned to ban the Born This Way Ball, but settled for a small-scale protest. Concerned Christians in Seoul deemed her show pornographic, successfully pushing to make it an adult-only! event.T here has since been weeks of worrying about the corruption of Indonesian souls, so much so that the countrys religious affairs minister,Suryadharma Ali, saw fit to comment on the canceled show. I strongly believe this cancellation will benefit the country, he offered. Entertainment should have moral values. Wed be foolish, though, to dismiss whats happening in Indonesia as kids these days conservatism. Whats happening in Indonesia is far more worrisome and complex.
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The worlds fourth most populous country prides itself on pluralism. When the 1997 Asian financial crisis triggered protests that helped topple the strongman Suharto, this majority-Muslim nation shattered the myth that Islam is antithetical to democracy. Many see Indonesia as a model for the post-revolutionary Arab world. But a permissive political climate has allowed extremism to fester at the edge of the moderate mainstream, giving rise to radical groups and religious vigilantes. Groups like the FPI hold outsized sway, particularly among provincial power brokers and, critics charge, the police. The police and courts have proved they cannot handle these issues fairly, Ismail Hasani of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace told AFP.Theyre often worried of a violent backlash if they punish hardliners.
The concert crackdown is just the latest in a string of oftentimes violent campaigns by radical groups acting in the name of Islam. Vigilante-style attacks on religious minorities are on the rise, rights groups say, and all-too often, the aggressors go unpunished. The men found guilty of leading last years lynch-mob style attack on members of the Ahamdiya sect were! scarcel y punished. Earlier this month, Canadian author Irshad Manji and several of her colleagues were physicallyattacked by hard-liners at an event in Yogyakarta. Manji and her team were in town to promote her new book,Allah, Liberty and Love,which praises Indonesia as peaceful, progressive society. Four years ago, I came to Indonesia and experienced a nation of tolerance, openness and pluralism, she wrote. Things have changed.
Meanwhile, the Gaga-as-Satan rhetoric has done little to stem the enthusiasm of the singers Indonesian fans, some of whom staged a flash mob in her honor. The Wall Street Journalnotes that search queries for Lady Gaga have jumped five-fold in Indonesia since early May, with phrases like lady gaga songs and download lady gaga now topping query lists. History tells us that banning pop stars does little to dull their glow. Ignore them and theyll fade away. The same cant be said for the censors.