Over 9,000 people banded together on social networking site Facebook to voice opposition to popular music artist AKON performing in Sri Lanka. The uproar is due to a collaborative music video, in which Akon appears. The video portrays scantily clad women dancing in front of a Buddha statue.

Two groups have been started on Facebook to oppose the concert, which is scheduled for April 24 at the SSC.
The group, “We Hate AKON (Abuse Music Video Against Lord Buddha)” has over 8000 fans, while another, “AKON Who Disgraced Buddhism – STOP Sri Lanka Concert” has over 800. Comments on the latter page range from mug shots of AKON who has a previous conviction for car theft, and demands that the artist apologise and pledge to stop using anti-Buddhist material. The rapper/ R and B singer songwriter has also previously come under fire for doing a simulated sex dance with a 15 year old girl.

However a Facebook group maintained by concert organisers, Platinum Entertainment has over 11,000 members. Commenters on this page have dismissed the protestors as “crazy extremists.” A spokesman from organiser YES FM has gone on record saying that Buddha statues are used as part of the décor in the West, and that the statue is merely in the background.