RABAT: They came for Elton John. The vast majority of the crowd at a Moroccan cultural festival were pleased with the British pop icon's performance, some Islamists spoke out against the openly gay singer. The concert has highlighted the ongoing controversy surrounding homosexuality in North Africa and the Middle East. The government and many fans supported John's Wednesday performance, but their cheering could do little to drown out the Islamists anger over a gay man performing in the Muslim country. Fans eagerly sang along to many of the lyrics, which for many was surprising for a country known for its French linguistic heritage and little English. The fact that John was able to give Moroccans what they were expecting was appreciated by those who saw the performance. “It was great. I am so happy that I got the chance to see him perform and the support from the government was great,” said Amal, a 31-year-old housewife. Despite the large turnout and sing-a-long, Islamists and conservatives in the country attacked the concert, saying that by allowing a gay man to perform “it would result in the spread of un-Islamic values and increase homosexuality in the country.” The country's Islamic Justice and Development Party (PJD) was the most outspoken critic of the concert. Mustapha Ramid, a spokesman for the PJD, told reporters that “this singer is famous for his homosexual behavior and for advocating it.” “We're a rather open party, but promoting homosexuality is completely unacceptable,” Ramid added to The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Ramid continued to say that homosexuality is against Muslim values, and he feared the British singer would “encourage the phenomenon” and be a bad influence for Moroccan youth. That was about all Mohamed Ibrahim, a 25-year-old computer programmer in Rabat, could take. He is gay. “Why do people think that seeing gay people or lesbians is going to make people become gay. It isn't as if we got to choose this way. Everything is not about sex,” he said. The pop star has been facing massive criticism across the Middle East, including a ban from performing at a private concert in Cairo that had been scheduled for May 18. The reason is simple: he is gay, and outspoken at that. The Egyptian musicians syndicate forbid the concert, citing an interview with Parade magazine where John said that Jesus was a “compassionate, super-intelligent gay man.” There were worries that he would be banned subsequently in Morocco over his sexuality. Being gay in the Middle East is forbidden, with most countries having laws on the books that punish homosexuality with prison sentences and worse. Here in Morocco, however, citizens appeared more interested in the music than what John does in his private life. “I don't know anything about gays and that, but what I do know is that we love Elton John,” said Said Chakhal, a 41-year-old local businessman. He believes the conservatives are trying to take on a moral role in the country that Moroccans don't want anything to do with. “We have seen what these conservatives have tried to do, here and elsewhere across the Arab world. We have our own parents already, we don't need more,” he added. BM
