Organisers yesterday vowed to fight for a Lady Gaga concert to go ahead in Indonesia, despite police refusing a permit and Islamic hardliners threatening “chaos” if she goes to the Muslim-majority nation.
If Lady Gaga still wants to perform here, go ahead. But please be prepared for chaos in Jakarta
Big Daddy Productions reached out on Twitter to Lady Gaga fans, known as “little monsters”, saying it still hoped to find a way to hold the June 3 event after already selling more than 50,000 tickets.
“Little monsters, be patient please. We will keep you updated. We are still fighting,” the company tweeted.
But the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) said it would create havoc if Lady Gaga were allowed to perform in Indonesia, calling her the “devil’s messenger” who wears only a “bra and panties” on stage.
“If Lady Gaga still wants to perform here, go ahead. But please be prepared for chaos in Jakarta. We are ready to be thrown to jail and be killed − we will do anything to stop it,” FPI Jakarta chairman Habib Salim Alatas said.
Big Daddy Production spokesman Arif Ramadhoni said they were discussing the issue with several parties, but declined to specify which ones.
“We are still in the process of finding a way to do it and we ask for everyone’s patience and forgiveness for the trouble,” Mr Ramadhoni said.
The national police, responsible for issuing event permits, showed no signs of budging yesterday, saying they could not grant the US star permission to perform without a recommendation from Jakarta police.
“We still deny the organisers the permit. The Jakarta police have said they do not recommend the Lady Gaga performance here, and they are the ones responsible for security, so there’s no way around it,” national police spokesman Saud Usman Nasution said.
The Jakarta police announced this week they would not recommend a permit after hearing opposition from “several community leaders”, including the country’s top Islamic body, the National Ulema Council.
Ninety per cent of Indonesia’s 240 million people identify themselves as Muslim, giving it the world’s largest Islamic population. The vast majority practise a moderate form of Islam.