JAKARTA, Indonesia — Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli’s two concerts in Indonesia will go ahead despite opposition from the country’s top Muslim clergy because of the singer’s past support for Israel, promoters said on Tuesday.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, has no official diplomatic relations with Israel and has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinians.
The Indonesian Ulema Council, the country’s most influential body of Islamic scholars, demanded on October 10 that organizers cancel Bocelli’s appearances at the UNESCO-listed Borobdür Temple on October 31 and in Jakarta on November 3.
The council has cited Bocelli’s past support for Israel, including his attendance at a 2010 fundraiser for the Israel Defense Forces in Los Angeles and a 2022 concert in Tel Aviv.
Bocelli’s concert organizer, Shoemaker Live, said the concerts would take place as planned despite objections. He argued that they would support Indonesia’s tourism and cultural sectors and that the decision was taken in consultation with government officials and other stakeholders.
“Maestro Bocelli stands with humanity and wants to share the hope of peace, especially with those who cannot experience it today,” Shoemaker Live founder Prajna Murdaya said in a statement. he said.
Murdaya said Bocelli is expected to dedicate a song to humanity and world peace at each performance, especially to children and communities living in the midst of conflict.
He said the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, founded in 2011, supports education, social development and aid programs for vulnerable communities around the world.
The organizer also announced a fundraising campaign that included a pledge to donate 100,000 pairs of shoes to children in the Holy Land and other war-affected areas.
On Tuesday, the religious council reiterated its opposition to the concerts. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, the council’s head of foreign affairs, said these “could hurt the feelings of many Indonesians who strongly support the Palestinians.”
The performances in Indonesia are part of Bocelli’s Romanza 30th Anniversary World Tour.
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Associated Press journalists Andi Jatmiko and Dita Alangkara in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.