Tonight, pop star Mariah Carey is scheduled to perform in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the country’s international golf tournament, but ISIS is warning the event could very well be the scene of a terrorist attack.
ISIS radicals are calling on their online supporters to carry out the attack, claiming the performance is “un-Islamic,” according to The Daily Mail.
Fans across the globe are pleading with Mariah Carey not to appear after ISIS flags were posted alongside online promotional materials for the concert.
Wednesday’s Coffee Break: Mariah Carey Threats Come After Months of ISIS Supporters Urging Concert Attacks – https://t.co/vnlILIKIRL
— PJ Media (@PJMedia_com) January 31, 2019
No one has forgotten the Sept. 2018 ISIS threat when images of a jihadist clutching a grenade at a music venue, stating, “We have prepared for you what never crossed your mind, for our goal is to horrify you and terrorize you and harm you.”
Shortly after, another threat depicted a man wearing a suit at a concert while concealing a large knife behind his back. It said, “Wait for our surprises,” MSN reported.
In October, another threat message was issued that said, “Your brothers in your lands have absolved themselves of blame, so leap onto their tracks and take an example from their actions and know that Jannah [paradise] is beneath the shadows of swords.”
Mariah is scheduled to perform together with Dutch DJ Tiesto, Yemeni-Emirati singer Balqees Fathi, and Jamaican rapper Sean Paul.
“Carey boasts 18 number one hits and has sold over 200 million records globally,” according to the Independent.
CodePink, a women’s activist group, has advised Carey to cancel the concert for reasons beyond ISIS threats. They say she shouldn’t perform in Saudi Arabia, where human rights abuse is rampant, and women’s rights activists are imprisoned.
The group issued a statement and have a petition to cancel the concert. They said, “Doesn’t [Mariah Carey] know Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive and murderous regimes on the planet?”
Mona Eltahaway, an Egyptian-American journalist wrote, “Dear Mariah Carey, I hear you’re planning on performing in Saudi Arabia. Are you aware that women’s rights activists have been detained without charge since May 2018 and tortured at the orders of Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman?”
Ignoring protests and threats of an ISIS attack, Mariah Carey plays a gig in Saudi Arabia. And she’s not alone. https://t.co/zH4K5unNRG
— Alan Cross (@alancross) January 31, 2019
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently eased entertainment prohibitions in Saudi Arabia as a means to improve the country’s image after the government-connected murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents at the consulate in Oct. 2018.
Intelligence experts claim that the Crown Prince of Saudi was somehow involved in the murder, for which five people have been taken into custody for and face the death penalty.
Mariah Carey is the largest star invited to perform since Saudi Arabia’s entertainment rules have changed, according to Fox News.
A spokesperson for Carey told Fox News that the star was “presented with the offer to perform for an international and mixed gender audience in Saudi Arabia, Mariah accepted the opportunity as a positive step towards the dissolution of gender segregation.”
“As the first female international artist to perform in Saudi Arabia, Mariah recognizes the cultural significance of this event and will continue to support global efforts towards equality for all,” they added.
