Won't be 'naughty girl' in M'sia

Knowles, who is well-known for her provocative clothes and concert choreography, backed out of a concert in Malaysia two years ago after the Islamic party threatened to protest the show. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR - BEYONCE Knowles has sung about partying like a 'naughty girl,' but Malaysians can expect her to be on her best behavior for a concert in this Muslim-majority country next month, the event's organiser said on Thursday.

The R&B superstar has attracted criticism in recent days from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, the country's largest opposition group, which wants authorities to scrap the Oct 25 show because it would promote 'Western sexy performances.'

Knowles, who is well-known for her provocative clothes and concert choreography, backed out of a concert in Malaysia two years ago after the Islamic party threatened to protest the show. Party officials have not planned any demonstrations for next month's event.

Entertainment company Marctensia, the concert's Malaysian organiser, said Knowles should be regarded as a 'role model' and 'embodiment of success' because of her heavy involvement in philanthropy work, including campaigns against poverty and domestic violence.

The company also allayed concerns that Knowles would wear inappropriate outfits, saying 'all parties have come to an amicable understanding' about stage costumes at the stadium concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's largest city.

'We are confident that (the concert) will once and for all silence international critics and put Malaysia back on track ... in presenting A-list international pop concerts in this region,' Marctensia said in a statement.

Other pop stars such as Avril Lavigne and Gwen Stefani have performed in Malaysia under similar protest threats by conservative Muslims in recent years, forcing the artists to don attire that revealed little skin.

In another recent concert controversy, the government at first barred, then reversed an order forbidding Muslims from attending a Black Eyed Peas concert on Friday because it is being sponsored by a beer company. -- AP