Basra Land vows refunds as dispute over Mohammed Abdul Jabbar concert widens

BASRA — Basra Land said it will announce a process for refunding tickets purchased for singer Mohammed Abdul Jabbar’s canceled concerts following backlash by local clerics. 

The gigs had been scheduled for Nov. 27 and 28 before the organizing company canceled it following a campaign targeting the artist and the venue. The organizers did not offer further details at the time.

Wisteria Music, which manages Abdul Jabbar, said in a statement that it shut down the event because protecting people became more important than holding a celebration. The company said the city was hurting and not being heard.

On Sunday, the event administration said preparations to hold the show were still underway after signing a contract with a security company. Event director Ibrahim al-Wazzan told 964media that Wisteria had partnered with a security firm to run the concert and that all approvals were completed legally. He said they preferred not to reveal more details but insisted the event was still on.

Pressure had mounted earlier when a group of Shia clerics protested the announcement of the concert dates, chanting, “Our customs are honor, manhood and modesty, not mixed gatherings, concerts and singing.”

In Dhi Qar governorate on Nov. 15, Abdul Jabbar performed in Nasiriyah before a large crowd, singing his well-known songs despite opposition from some groups. Attendees told 964media that members of the local council, business figures, cultural personalities and families were present. Some said they were pleased to see cultural life return to the city and noted Iraq’s efforts to move past darker periods.

Basra has experienced tensions over public entertainment events since 2024, when the Grand Millennium Hotel hosted a Halloween gathering on Nov. 8 that prompted protests, social-media backlash and demands for the hotel’s closure from demonstrators who described the celebration as immoral or “satanic,” drawing condemnation from religious groups and some residents while hotel representatives warned the uproar could harm Basra’s reputation as a tourist and conference destination.

Attendees dismissed the accusations and said the event was ordinary and held without costumes or frightening makeup, yet protests grew, with participants calling for a ban on music and dance events in the city and criticizing local authorities for allowing such gatherings.