Mashrou’ Leila, were set to perform at Byblos music festival on August 9th. But the set has been cancelled “to prevent bloodshed and preserve security” according to the organisers, after Christian critics of the band on social media threatened to attack the concert, over lyrics they labelled as “blasphemous”.
The office of the town’s archbishop had published a statement that said the group “undermine religious and human values [and] attack sacred symbols of Christianity”, while the country’s Catholic Information Centre called them a “danger to society”.
Human rights organisations have condemned the decision, and the wider campaign against the group. Lama Fakih, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said: “The cancellation of Mashrou’ Leila’s concert reflects the government’s increased reliance on overbroad and abusive laws to stifle and censor activists, journalists, and artists.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the band, whose frontman is openly gay, said their lyrics were “misinterpreted” saying: “We are not on some sort of mission to arbitrarily blaspheme and disrespect people’s religious symbols”.
— Mashrou’ Leila (@mashrou3leila) July 22, 2019
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