Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Wan Salim Mohd Noor has called on the government to cancel the permit for an upcoming concert by pop star Ed Sheeran, who has expressed support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Wan Salim was quoted by Sinar Harian on Wednesday (Jan 31) as saying, “As mufti, it is my responsibility to urge the Malaysian government, through the relevant ministries (Communication Ministry and Digital Ministry) to revoke the permit for the concert immediately.”
He also urged the ministries to respect the Islamic stance given by muftis and emphasized that the prohibition on LGBT activities are based on explicit texts in the Quran and hadith, not on scholarly interpretation.
Wan Salim stressed that Malaysia, as a nation with a predominantly Muslim population, should not permit concerts featuring artists who support sinful activities and urged all Muslims in the country to boycott the concert.
Ed Sheeran, a 32-year-old British singer, is scheduled to perform at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 24 as part of his “+-=÷x Asia Tour,” which will also feature guest singer-songwriter Calum Scott. Sheeran previously held a concert in Malaysia in 2019 for his “Divide” world tour.
