Popular Lebanese rock band Mashrou' Leila's frontman, Hamed Sinno, has been actively voicing his opinion on Jordan's sudden and shocking decision to ban his band from performing at Amman's Roman Amphitheatre on Friday 29 April, since the decision came into effect on Tuesday.
Sinno - who is openly gay - and his four band members' promotion of political and religious freedom, endorsement of gender equality and sexual identity, and alleged satanical lyrics and symbolism in their work were behind the ban.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Sinno sarcastically posted a Facebook video of one of their concerts in Amman, captioning it, "One of Mashrou' Leila's usual Devil-worshipping rituals in one of its concerts in Amman."
But Sinno and his boys weren't left to face the music alone.
Not only did thousands of their fans protest Jordan's decision on social media, but Sinno's Jordanian mother came to her son's defense as well.
The incident drew both local and international attention, with well-known publications including Buzzfeed, The Guardian and the BBC reporting on the story.
As for the band, they responded with a statement on Facebook denouncing "the systemic prosecution of voices of political dissent, the systemic prosecution of advocates of sexual and religious freedom and the censorship of artists anywhere in the world."
You can sign this petition on Change.org if you want them to sing in Amman on Friday.
By Arwad Khalifeh
