Ed Sheeran’s mammoth world tour may have its Malaysian date cancelled (Picture: Timothy Norris/Getty Images)
Ed Sheeran’s views on the LGBTQ+ community could see him banned from Malaysia.
The country’s Islamic Party has called for the government to ban pro-LGBTQ+ artists performing in the country, as the Shape of You hitmaker, 31, is set to bring his Mathematics world tour to the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
The show, which is set to take place ahead of the Muslim sacred holiday of Ramadan, has been described by DUPP chief Ahmad Yahaya as something that would ‘pollute the sanctity of the holiday.’
‘The invited artiste has a background of LGBT ideology which is firmly rejected by Malaysia,’ they state as their reasoning.
‘Do we not learn from past mistakes? Are we becoming more and more desensitised, especially when the performance is scheduled when Muslims are preparing to usher in Ramadan?’ the statement continued.
It refers to the uproar caused by The 1975 when vocalist Matty Healy kissed bassist Ross MacDonald onstage.
The musician’s views on the LGBTQ+ community could see him become the latest artist banned from Malaysia (Picture: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Disney+)
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The band had their set cut short to 30 minutes and were removed from Malaysia following the stunt and have been banned from performing in the country again.
As a result, the entire three-day Good Vibes festival in Kuala Lumpur was cancelled leaving LGBTQ+ activists furious at the singer.
In videos that circulated on social media of Matty and The 1975 on stage in Malaysia, the frontman admitted to his fans that he had thought about dropping out of the show, but thought that it wouldn’t be fair on them ‘because you are young people, and I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool.’
He said that it was ‘f***ing ridiculous to tell people what they can’t do… If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f*** off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before and it doesn’t feel good, and I’m f***ed off.’
LGBTQ+ laws in Malaysia
According to Human Dignity Trust, Malaysia criminalises same-sex sexual activity between men and women under the Penal Code 1936.
Under this code, acts of ‘carnal knowledge against the order of nature’ and ‘gross indecency’ are punishable by a maximum of 20 years imprisonment with whipping.
Although this law does not explicitly criminalise transgender people, the website states that they are often arrested under the Penal Code.
Additionally, there are no laws that protect the LGBTQ+ community against discrimination and hate crimes in Malaysia.
These laws go back to 1871 when Malaysia was under British colonial law and a criminal ban on sodomy, between any couples, was enacted.
Coldplay also sparked concern in the country with organisers asserting they would pull the plug on their November 22 show in the country.
Communication and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil said he did not foresee any problem with Coldplay’s show in the country, ignoring calls from the opposition party to cancel.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim justified allowing the Coldplay concert, telling Parliament that ‘Coldplay is actually among the bands that support Palestine’.
Back in 2013, TikTok hitmaker Kesha saw her Malaysian show during her Warrior world tour cancelled just a day before she was set to perform as it would ‘hurt political and cultural sensitivities’.
Coldplay’s first show in the country was also threatened with cancellation (Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Kesha was banned from Malaysia in 2013 (Picture: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for ABA)
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Posting to X, then known as Twitter, the pop icon wrote at the time: ‘To be clear. I did NOT cancel. I was not allowed to play. And then I was going to play anyways and was threatened with imprisonment.’
A year prior, Erykah Badu was banned from Malaysia after photographs emerged with her covered in temporary tattoos, one of which contained the word ‘Allah’.
The then-Minister of Communications and Digital, Rais Yatim, said the controversy behind the tattoos ‘could jeopardise national security and cause a negative impact to the government’s image.’
In 2001, metal band Lamb Of God found themselves forbidden from performing Malaysia’s Rockaway Festival in Kuala Lumpur as they ‘were found to infringe on religious sensitivities and cultural values of Malaysian society,’ as reported by the Star Online.
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