Gwen Stefani to cover up for Malaysia concert

Gwen Stefani will not wear revealing costumes during her Aug. 21 concert after Muslim students protested her sexy outfits and steamy performances.

Show organizer Maxis Communications Bhd. said the 37-year-old singer will follow the local code of ethics for foreign artists, which bans the unnecessary baring of skin.

“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,” the company said Thursday in a statement to The Associated Press.

Maxis, the country’s biggest mobile phone company, hopes to attract some 9,000 people to the show, one of the stops on Stefani’s Sweet Escape world tour.

The National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students, which has some 10,000 members, charged that Stefani’s skimpy outfits and cheeky performances clashed with Islamic values.

“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,” the union’s vice president, Abdul Muntaqim, told the AP.

Ethnic Malay Muslims form about 60 percent of Malaysia’s population, with ethnic Chinese and Indians of Christian, Buddhist and Hindu faiths forming most of the rest.

A senior official at the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry said enforcement officers would monitor the concert.

Under the official guide to performing in Malaysia, a female artist must be covered from the top of her chest to her knees. No jumping, shouting or throwing of objects onstage or at the audience is allowed. Performers cannot hug or kiss, and their clothes cannot have obscene or drug-related images or messages.

thanks for the article

Could they be any more uptight?