Despite being advised by women’s rights and human rights advocates to cancel her performance in Saudi Arabia, Mariah Carey carried out her performance on 31 January saying that it is a “positive step towards the dissolution of gender segregation” in the Kingdom. Carey was the first female singer to ever perform in the Kingdom before a mixed-gender audience since social reforms eliminated the curbs on entertainment and gender segregation. Activists called her to cancel her performance in solidarity with the 11 Saudi women’s rights activists who were jailed in May of last year and are allegedly being tortured. Others asked her to at least advocate for their release. The singer appeared along side DJ Tiesto, Sean Paul and the Yemen-born singer Balqees Fathi at King Abdullah Economic City. Although Mariah strongly believes that this is a step towards gender equality, activists disagree. “The Saudi government is using entertainment to distract the people from human rights abuses because it can sense the anger among the public,” Saudi woman who sought political refuge abroad and co-founded Women for Rights in Saudi Arabia (WARSA), Omaima al-Najjar, told The Guardian. Najjar’s NGO, WARSA, created a…
Mariah Carey Performs in Saudi Arabia Despite Criticism from Human Rights Activists
February 1, 2019
