FUI Said: 'Christians Should be Upset With Gaga'

"Lady Gaga"

The Islamic People’s Forum (FUI) — a unit of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) — said on Tuesday that Indonesian Christians should be upset with Lady Gaga, and opposed to her upcoming concert in Jakarta because she often wears Christian symbols “inappropriately.”

FUI spokesman Munarman compared the debate in Indonesia with the Philippines, where Catholic youth protested against the concert.

“Lady Gaga wore the cross on her genitals. Many of her songs are insulting to Christian beliefs. I wonder why we are the ones that are attacked when opposing her,” Munarman said.

Munarman said the Lady Gaga concert was an exploitation of people who did not understand global capitalism. “People who oppose it still have a healthy mind to reject a fool industry like this,” Munarman said. “This is clearly exploitation.”

Munarman made his statement following a meeting with the House Commission III to clarify the reasons behind the FUI’s objection toward the concert, and to urge the House to support their objections.

He said that he did not believe that the promoter, Big Daddy, would abide with the law by adjusting the concert to adhere to Indonesian culture.

“Lady Gaga refused to be regulated by the Philippines,” he said. “Lady gaga said she was not a [Filipino] and therefore did not have to comply with Philippine law. We should not believe the statements of someone who can not be trusted.”

While some hardline Islamist groups opposed the June 3 concert, the Indonesian Council of Churches said last week that the show should be allowed because it represented freedom of expression.

“Don’t teach our young generation pseudo-formality by wearing good outfits, but being bad on the inside,” Gomar Gultom, secretary general of the Indonesian Council of Churches (PGI), said responding to complaints about Lady Gaga’s wardrobe.