MANAMA, 26 November 2005 — A concert by popular Egyptian singer Ehab Tawfiq pressed ahead late Thursday despite a protest by neighborhood residents, which caused havoc as youths obstructed traffic to block fans from reaching the concert.
The protest on the outskirts of the capital, Manama, resulted in a minor accident and long queues of cars as young men crossed the street back and forth, bringing traffic to a complete halt.
They were protesting the hosting of the concert by a restaurant that had just opened its doors in the nearby mall.
“We don’t want to have concerts that defy the morals of the area residents,” one protester said. “The government seems to be intent on forcing such things on us despite repeated warnings that we will not stand for it.”
In October 2003, clashes broke out between police and young Bahrainis during a concert for provocative Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram.
Ajram’s concert continued as protesters vandalized cars and hurled flaming bottles at police.
“They ought to learn to respect the rights of others,” a woman attending the concert said. “We have rights, and the actions of a small group of people have reflected negatively on the image of the country and the economy.”
Motorists lashed out at protest organizers, who abandoned the demonstration on word of the imminent arrival of riot police and left behind only unsupervised children.
Tawfiq, a pop idol and one of the top singers in the Arab world, defied the protesters and sang to a packed hall. His fans queued to take pictures with him on stage as he sang his most recent numbers well into the early morning hours yesterday.
