Beyonce vs. the Muslim Brotherhood

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Egypt’s largest opposition movement is the Muslim Brotherhood. Alternately persecuted and co-opted by the Egyptian government, they’re arguably the most popular political group in the country.

One of their highest ranking members also does not like Beyonce.

The global pop star is scheduled to perform on November 6 at the Port Ghalib resort on the Red Sea, “a world class integrated resort community.”

In a recent session of the Egyptian parliament (warning: link in Arabic), Muslim Brotherhood MP Hamdi Hassan lodged an official protest. According to al-Arabiya, who were doubtlessly overjoyed to slip “bootylicious” into a 2009 news piece:

The bootylicious pop diva is set for a government-approved gig at the Red Sea resort of Port Ghalib, irking Muslim Brotherhood member Hamdi Hassan, who slammed the government for allowing a singer “who appears naked in her clips” to perform, which he said would spread vice.

“The government is trying to make people indulge in sin and licentiousness to cover up the other crimes it is committing against them,” Hassan said in a parliament session.

Hassan highlighted what he called government double standards for refusing to allow an Islamic band that sings religious songs for children to enter the country.

The “Islamic band” in question was most likely, given the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideological stances, affiliated with a foreign branch of the organization.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna (who, incidentally, was one of al-Qaeda’s chief ideological influences) and professes a sometimes-moderate version of Sunni political Islamism. The Egyptian branch is subject to regular arrests and detentions, while many individual members have been involved on attacks on secularists or respresentatives of Egypt’s National Democratic Party. Individual members have different opinions on Western pop culture; the Brotherhood is still illegal in Egypt.

Gregg Carlstrom of the Majils says that Beyonce’s songs are informed by Islamic values:

Single Ladies,” of course, celebrates traditional marriage — an institution that’s on the decline among many Egyptians. The Brotherhood should appreciate “Halo”; angels are one of the six articles of faith in Sunni Islam. “Beautiful Liar” offers something for the Shi’a community — can you say taqiyya? And”Bootylicious,” from her Destiny’s Child days, is obviously a cautionary tale about Ramadan weight gain.

Curiously, Beyonce’s tour schedule calls for an October 29 show in Abu Dhabi, a November 2 show in Moscow… and a November 8 gig in Athens. Someone in Egypt is obviously offering Beyonce a good deal of money to make the schlep from Europe. Being a pop star, it seems, is lucrative.