Malaysia blocks Lavigne concert

Singer may perform at later date

By PATRICK FRATER

Canadian pop singer Avril Lavigne will not perform in Malaysia this month as her act is deemed too sexy. It is unclear whether she will return to play a later date.

The government of the predominantly Muslim country ordered promoters of a show skedded for Aug. 29 to postpone as it risked marring the annual independence day celebrations only two days later.

"We did not reject the concert. We asked them to find another date as the original date is so close to the independence day," an Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry spokesman said.

Move follows calls by the leading opposition party, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, to ban the singer's public performances. Kamarulzaman Mohamed, a party youth official, said that Lavigne's show was "considered too sexy for us" and would promote the wrong values on the eve of Malaysia's independence day.

The ministry says the promoters are free to find another date, but the singer's availability later is not certain.

She is not the first western songbird to run into problems with Malaysia's conservative Islamic politicos. In 2006, the Pussycat Dolls were fined nearly $3,000 and last October Beyonce shifted a planned concert to Indonesia instead, though a year ago Gwen Stefani played on despite protests.

Lavigne's local promoters Galaxy Group said that more than half the tickets had been sold.