ENTERTAINERS must have more awareness of humanitarian issues, writer and playwright Faisal Tehrani said.
He also emphasises on the importance of artists listening to their conscience when considering gigs.
Faisal was speaking after celebrated singer Siti Nurhaliza performed with staunch Israel supporter David Foster in a concert in Jakarta over the weekend.
Pro-Palestine movement Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Malaysia had urged her to withdraw from the event.
"As a writer and a playwright, I do a lot of writing and I have worked with a countless number of people. But if I were invited to collaborate with Salman Rushdie, I would say no to him because of what he had said about Islam and Prophet Muhammad.
"That is my moral standing and my own conscience. As a writer, a journalist or a singer, you have to have a moral standing," Faisal told The Vibes.
Faisal said artists must practise the Islamic concepts of "tawalla" and "tabarra".
Tawalla refers to the act of showing love to God and his followers, while tabarra means disassociation from the enemies of God.
"This is the philosophical part when we say we care or love someone. For example, if we say we care about the lives of the Palestinians, we express Tawalla, we show love and support.
"(And) at the same time, we distance ourselves from those who back the Zionist regime. This is what we call Tabarra in Islam.
"You can't be supporting the Palestinian cause but at the same time be okay with those who back the genocide in Gaza or in the West Bank," he added.
Faisal said local artists must learn from Western celebrities with high moral standing who stood with Palestine.
"John Cusack and Cynthia Nixon are two clear examples of artists with high morals. They didn't back down. There are many more like them in the West," he said.
Last week, BDS Malaysia urged Siti to reconsider performing in Jakarta with Foster in the “Hitman Returns – David Foster and Friends” concert.
In a statement, the group pointed out that Foster, a world-renowned music composer, is a strong supporter of Israel's Zionist regime and has been involved in fundraising activities for the Israeli military.
The group urged all parties, including artists, to be more sensitive towards the plight of the Palestinians.
"The bare minimum they could do is to boycott Israel's Zionist regime and any organisation or individual who is connected to the atrocity that is happening in Palestine," BDS Malaysia said.
Other artists who performed included Brian McKnight, Jessie J, and Indonesian pop and R&B singer Afgan.
BDS Malaysia chairman Dr Nazari Ismail hoped Siti would not repeat the same mistake.
The former economics professor said the singer should check the background of the artist before deciding to collaborate.
"We didn't call for a boycott on Siti but we demanded she withdraw from performing.
"We were disappointed that she went ahead with the concert. We hope there will be no more after this.
"As a renowned singer, they should have carried out background checks if the organisers were Zionist and if they were, Siti and her manager should have called it off," Nazari said.
Malaysians divided
The concert, meanwhile, has divided Malaysians on social media, with one section supporting Siti Nurhaliza and another lambasting her.
Siti is now trending on Twitter, where Malaysians are calling out the singer’s fans for defending her participation in the concert.
Many stated that it was clear double standards, as other local celebrities and influencers have received intense backlash for being associated with brands or people who are pro-Israel.
More than 37,000 people (35,562 Palestinian and 1,478 Israeli) have been reported killed in the Israel–Hamas war.
The vast majority of casualties have been in the Gaza Strip. More than 24,000 of the dead have been identified by the Gaza Health Ministry; of these, 52% are women and minors, 40% are men, and 8% are elderly. – June 20, 2024.
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