Gwen Stefani plans to cover up when she hits Kuala Lumpur. The 37-year-old pop singer promises not to wear any revealing outfits during her August 21 performance in the Malaysian capital.
In an August 2 statement to the Associated Press, show organizer Maxis Communications Bhd. said "Gwen Stefani has confirmed that her concert will not feature any revealing costumes. She will abide by the Malaysian authorities' guidelines to ensure that her show will not be offensive to local sensitivities."
Maxis, the country's largest mobile phone company, hopes to attract 9,000 fans to the show. The 10,000-member National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students charged that Stefani's skimpy outfits violated traditional Islamic values.
Speaking to the Associated Press, union vice president Abdul Muntaqim said "her performance and her attire are not suitable for our culture. It promotes a certain degree of obscenity and will encourage youth to emulate the western lifestyle. The concert should be stopped."
Ethnic Malay Muslims form 60 percent of the Malaysian population, with ethnic Chinese and Indians of Buddhist, Christian, and Hindu faiths comprising most of the rest. A senior official at the Culture, Arts, and Heritage Ministry said enforcement officers would monitor Stefani's performance.
Female artists who perform in Malaysia must be covered from the top of the chest to the knees. They must not shout, jump, or throw objects onstage or at the audience. Performers may not hug or kiss, and their clothes must not contain obscene or drug-related messages or images.
