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Religious Zealots vs. Pop Culture

It’s the end of August, and most of our pop stars are either on vacation, in prison, or planning their next DUIs — but for the zany religious fundamentalists trying to stamp out the influence of Western culture, it’s just another day at the office! The above video, recently posted to YouTube by a British group with links to Al Qaeda, makes veiled threats on the lives of some of music’s most dangerous subversives, like Diddy and Justin Timberlake.

But Al Qaeda aren’t the only ones trying to turn the clocks back to 1600 this week. Promoters of Beyoncé’s November 1 concert in Malaysia are demanding that she tone down her sexy act. “We’ve informed Beyoncé’s management about this issue of clothes … [She] won’t be able to do the kind of show here that she does elsewhere,” says one concert organizer. (To his credit, though, he apparently hates his job: “It’s a pity to restrict her, because her costumes are all tasteful and glamorous,” he continues.)

And on the home front, Christian teens from Georgia are mounting a well-timed campaign to combat the popularity of the Beatles. Stay tuned to find out how that goes!

Western Pop Stars Hassled in Malaysia [AP]Teen Christians campaign against pop culture [CNN]

Religious Zealots vs. Pop Culture