KUWAIT CITY (CelebrityAccess) — A concert by US rapper Akon planned for Kuwait has been canceled after it drew criticism from conservative lawmakers who threatened to take action if the concert went ahead.
“If the US singer who is well known for his terrible lyrics is allowed to perform, we will not hesitate to move against anything that touches our religion and our morals,” Minister of Parliament member Humood Al Hamdan said, quoted by local daily Al Rai on Saturday.
“We need to protect our children and make sure they are not influenced by negative people,” Al Hamdan added. “There must be a zero-tolerance policy towards such matters.”
According to Kuwaiti news organization Al Qabas, organizers had secured all of the necessary permits for the concert, which was set to take place at the SIRBB Circuit, a large go-carting facility in Kuwait and intended to support a driver safety campaign taking place in the country.
Not everyone in the Kuwaiti government was against the concert and Bashar Al Sayegh, the secretary general of the National Coalition, criticized the decision.
“The information ministry allowed the concert, the interior ministry supported it and the youth ministry sponsored it,” he told Al Qabas. “Then, the interior ministry cancels it under pressure from lawmakers. The government should not have given in to the forces that have caused an ominous deterioration of freedom.” – Staff Writers
