Beyonce Knowles: Postpones Malaysia concert amid protests

Beyonce Knowles: Postpones Malaysia concert amid protests

Beyonce Knowles has postponed a planned concert in Malaysia after the nation's opposition Islamist party raised concerns about her performance by citing moral issues. The concert organizers have said so.

Details about this news on Beyonce Knowles have been gathered from various sources. The foreign acts often drew protests by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), whose youth wing forced Beyonce to cancel her 2007 concert in the mainly Muslim nation of twenty seven million people.

Malaysian entertainment company Marctensia said in a statement on its website that the Beyonce "I am ..." concert, planned for October 25 as part of her world tour, would be postponed to a date yet to be announced.

In a statement the concert organizers said, "The postponement is solely (the) decision of the artist and has nothing to do with other external reasons”.

However no further reason was provided. Marctensia said that a new date for the concert would be announced "shortly" and a statement from Beyonce's management would be released later this week.

The youth wing of PAS sought last year to prevent Canadian singer Avril Lavigne from performing in Malaysia.

Earlier this month, Malaysia initially banned Muslims from attending a concert by U.S. hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas, which was sponsored by Guinness, one of the brands owned by the world's biggest spirits group, Diageo.

The ban was reversed. However a senior official said that it was up to each individual's "better judgment" whether to attend the event.

Malaysia's image as a moderate Muslim country took a back seat when a woman caught drinking beer recently was sentenced to be caned.