- The K-Pop World Festival (preliminary) held in Israel, has sparked backlash among fans.
- Indonesia and the Middle East hold some of the largest K-pop fan bases globally. Muslim K-pop fans ought to use this, along with the silence of their idols, as a wake-up call.
K-pop has maintained enduring allure and gained immense global popularity in recent years. However, is this trend poised for a shift?
As indicated by a Korean media source, a sociological inquiry encompassing more than 400,000 BTS enthusiasts was conducted between July and September 2020. The findings were unveiled in March 2021, revealing that Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority nation, possessed the second-largest fan base. Moreover, the Middle East boasted a notable aggregate of 230,000 devotees spread across 140 clubs.
On July 15th The K-Pop World festival (Israel Preliminary), a competition sponsored by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), held in Israel— will offer winners the chance to travel to Korea and perform at the K-pop World Festival in Changwon.
However, the inclusion of Israel as a participant has sparked significant outrage.
User ARMY4Palestine, an account managed by pro-Palestinian fans of the immensely popular K-pop band BTS, also called for a boycott, stating: “The settler colony is attempting to artwash apartheid, genocide, and their violations of Palestinian human rights once more, as it is a central element of their propaganda strategy.”
In addition, South Korea’s BDS (Boycott, Divestment movement) condemned the K-pop audition in Israel, emphasising that hosting such an event amidst the suffering of Palestinians is deplorable.
K-pop fans are channeling their anger towards KBS. However, it’s noteworthy that K-pop stars have not publicly addressed Israel’s participation, suggesting they acquiesce to it.
Many K-Pop fans are staunch advocates for Palestine in online communities. Many hail from Muslim-majority countries as previously mentioned. However, they consistently show unwavering loyalty to their heroes, such as RM, often bordering on idolisation— a practice considered a major sin in Islam.
RM, also known as Kim Namjoon, faced significant backlash last year after he shared Frank Ocean’s song ‘Bad Religion’ on his Instagram story— a song which contains Islamophobic lyrics. Consequently, the hashtag, “RM APOLOGISE TO MUSLIMS” quickly gained traction, leading to an outpouring of disappointment from fans and followers.
Let’s park that there for a second. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that within mainstream Orthodox Sunni Islam, the categorisation of music is deemed impermissible (haram). And Allah ordains what is best for His slaves. This ruling finds its substantiation in the following Hadith:
The Prophet Mohammed (saw) was reported to have said:
“From among my followers there will be some people who will consider as permissible illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks, and the use of musical instruments.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari 5590)
Perhaps the events of this week will wake up the souls of Muslim K-Pop fans. It highlights the indifference of their effeminately groomed heroes— or even idols— to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Whilst it must be mentioned that a select number of K-Pop stars have shown support for Palestine in the past, it remains deeply shameful and morally indefensible to remain silent when it truly matters. Israel is evidently targeting the youth and endeavouring to employ art to whitewash the genocide that has been live streamed on our phones for the past eight months.
