A billboard wishing BTS member Jungkook on his 24th birthday was removed in Pakistan’s Gujranwala after it was accused of allegedly promoting “homosexuality”.
The incident pertains to September 1, when the fan club of the uber-famous Korean boy’s band BTS, known as BTS Army, put up a poster of Jeon Jungkook to wish him on his birthday. The BTS Army had sought permission from the Chamber of Commerce’s permission to put a billboard that featured the ‘Golden Maknae’ wearing a black and white suit with the caption “Happy 24th Birthday”.
However, Younus Mughal, who owned the poster, was shocked when he was forced to pull down the billboard, just a day after a local MLA alleged that it promoted homosexuality. According to Mughal, Furqan Aziz Butt, a Punjab Assembly candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami, asked him to immediately remove the poster.
Mughal was perplexed as to why Butt had asked him to pull down the billboard, just a day after it was put up. “Although we took it down the same evening when we got a complaint against the poster. When we saw the ad while removing it, we didn’t really get what it was about, just that it showed someone’s face,” he said.
A report published in Vice said Furqan Aziz Butt received a “lot of complaints from people” about the ad on his Facebook. He said the Korean band had a harmful influence on the youth of Gujranwala and promoted ‘homosexuality’. “There are young people in this city. This group (BTS) has a negative influence on them and encourages them to behave in wrong activities. They promote homosexuality,” Butt grumbled while defending the removal of Jungkook’s poster.
Pakistan’s BTS Army slams local MLA for getting BTS member Jungkook’s poster removed
The removal of Jungkook’s poster did not sit well with Pakistan’s BTS ARMY, a passionate and dedicated group of fans of the Korean band, who took to social media to express their anger and protest against the Pakistani MLA. One of the members of the BTS ARMY from Islamabad, Zainab Zaman, told Vice that Pakistani ARMYs were hurt by the decision and rubbished the MLA’s claims that the group promoted homosexuality.
“A politician just comes up out of nowhere and says that BTS is promoting homosexuality and spreading vulgarity. BTS has never used vulgar verses in their songs. They are just about loving yourself and being happy,” Zainab said.
Several aggrieved BTS fans also took to Twitter to fume against the Pakistani MLA for getting the poster of Jungkook removed on trumped-up charges.
They removed that Jungkook billboard in Pakistan for “promoting homosexuality” 😭 these mullahs are sick
— 🍄 (@gcddessathena) September 2, 2021
the billboard in pakistan of jungkook for his 24th bday was just removed by force by a political party for ‘promoting homosexuality’ this makes me so sick. The girl who paid for the billboard has to pay for putting it up ??? + pic.twitter.com/oXv5CGIcD7
— shasha’s♡kae (@starsluvjk) September 2, 2021
MFS REMOVED THE JUNGKOOK BILLBOARD APPARENTLY BECAUSE ITS NOT APPROPRIATE???? BHAI WTF YAAR PAKISTAN IS SHIT AND SO IS ITS PEOPLE FUCK EVERYONE HERE
— momo⁷ ☆ jks hot gf👅 (@dafahomomo) September 2, 2021
It is worth noting that homosexuality is banned under Islam. The state religion of Pakistan, Islam, prohibits any kind of manifestation of homosexual behaviour. The Holy Quran also has verses that advocate stringent punishment to those indulging in homosexuality.
Most schools of Shari’ah Law view homosexual sex as deserving the same punishment as adultery, ie death. Countries that abide by the puritanical version of Islam even impose capital punishment on people caught taking part in homosexual acts. Pakistan, which is also one of such conservative countries, criminalises LGBTQ+ people under the Penal Code 1860 and the Hudood Ordinance 1979.
BTS: South Korean K-pop sensation
BTS is a massively popular South Korean boy band that was formed in 2010 and debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The band, also known as the Bangstan Boys comprise seven members —Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The group co-writes and co-produces much of their own output. It had recently come up with a song called “Butter” that instantly became a chartbuster.
The band had originally been a hip hop group, but their musical style has evolved over a period of time to include a wide range of genres. The lyrics to their songs often focus on personal and social issues, touching upon themes of mental health, school-age problems, loss, among other things. Their body of work also includes references to literature and psychological concepts, along with an alternative universe storyline.
Besides, they have a formidable fan base, who call themselves ARMY. A.R.M.Y is an acronym for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth. By some accounts, the band has more than 90 million fans across the world, who are passionately devoted to the group.
