Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Nov. 21 rejected calls to cancel British rock band Coldplay's concert, saying that the band is pro-Palestine.

This is despite several groups and people, including the Federal Territories Mufti Luqman Abdullah, urging Malaysia's Muslim community to not attend the Nov. 22 concert or for it to be cancelled by the Malaysian government.

Immoral Groups

The New Straits Times reported that Mufti for the Federal Territories Mufti Luqman Abdullah urged the Malaysian public in a social media post published on Nov. 18, not to support the hotly anticipated Coldplay concert.

Abdullah claimed Coldplay was linked to “immoral groups that promoted LGBT practices”, he also advised organisers not to proceed with the program as it was clearly against the values of Malaysia.

He also said that for the Muslim community, “There are boundaries that must be adhered to and forms of entertainment outside of this (boundary) are against Islamic law.”

The Malay Mail also reported that opposition politicians from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) bloc, especially PAS politicians have also called for the band's concert to be called off.

Some PN politicians have said that the concert was not appropriate considering the crisis that was going on in Palestine.

These calls were also echoed by Malaysian Muslim NGOs, such as Malaysian Muslim Solidarity, who said on Nov. 15 that the concert should be cancelled “out of respect” for the 11,000 lives lost in Palestine, according to Says.

Pro-Palestine

On Nov. 21 the Malay Mail reported Anwar’s responded in parliament to an opposition Bersatu MP, who had asked if it was appropriate to continue with the concert.

Anwar said that Coldplay was actually among the bands that support Palestine, and that approving the concert was in line with previous governments' decisions.

Anwar said he would speak to the Federal Territory Mufti about the issues that the Mufti had raised, but also noted that he was facing pressure from other lobby groups who backed the Palestinian movement.

Anwar seemingly turned the Coldplay question on its head, saying that many lobby groups were asking why Malaysia was blocking a music band that supported Palestine.

But with the concert occurring on Nov. 22, the Malay Mail also reported that the push to call off the concert was itself receiving pushback from "moderate Muslims" in Malaysia.

Coldplay's concert is highly anticipated by its Malaysian fan base. When tickets went on sale earlier in 2023, they sold out within three hours according to The Star .

Also protesting

Coldplay has also faced criticism and protest in other parts of Southeast Asia over its support for LGBT groups.

Its recent Nov. 15 concert in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, attracting a small protest of about 300 people.

The band social media shows that the band had no trouble filling the stadium despite the protest, with band frontman Chris Martin even trying his hand at traditional Indonesian pantun.

Prior to the concert, he also seemed unperturbed by the protest that his performance seemed to have inspired, taking a relaxed barefoot walk around Jakarta.

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Top image via Anwar Ibrahim/Facebook & Coldplay/Facebook