Elton John to perform in Morocco despite outcry

[May 27, 2010]  RABAT, Morocco (AP) -- Organizers say Elton John will be the highlight of Morocco's biggest music festival, despite calls by the country's main Islamist party to cancel the British singer's concert because of his homosexuality.

The public spat between organizers for the Mawazine Festival and the Justice and Development Party, the country's largest authorized Islamist group, illustrates the rift between Morocco's Western-leaning authorities and the more conservative Muslim movements on the rise in the North African kingdom.

Elton John is due to play Wednesday night in Rabat, the capital.

[Associated Press]

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