An upcoming Elton John concert in Morocco will proceed as planned this month, despite a call to bar him because he's gay.
The Islamist Justice and Development Party, Morocco's main opposition, called last week for a ban of the famed British pop musician, who is slated to play a concert in Rabat at the Mawazine Festival on May 26.
Party officials argued that John's concert had "a risk of encouraging homosexuality in Morocco."
Most commentators saw the call as a rather naive attempt at playing popular politics. However, the move backfired when the party was roundly ridiculed.
"Sir Elton is one of the world's top pop singers and composers,and the Mawazine organizers invite artists on the basis of the quality of their performance on stage and according to their artistic career… [John's] private life is none of our business." - Aziz Daki
Thankfully sane heads and common sense prevailed and the festival artistic director Aziz Daki defended the pop icon and refused to cancel the concert, saying that banning an act because of sexual orientation would "undermine the respect and privacy and breach certain values that the international Mawazine festival is based on."
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