THe LGBTQ advocacy group, HELEM, has succeeded in getting Mohamed Eskandar to alter his setlist for his performances in Ottawa and Montreal this Saturday and Sunday due to the homophobic and misogynistic nature of two of his songs, Dod el Enef and Jomhouryet Albi:

“Dod el Enef,” is translated from the Arabic as “Against Violence.” HELEM says the song’s title is intended ironically as a way to mock the slogan used by LGBTQ advocates in Lebanon.

The song’s lyrics include:

“Without jealousy and real masculinity, women are in trouble. Ever since the military service stopped, half of men became plagued by the disease of femininity.

“If my dad and yours weren’t straight (alternative translation: “macho”), we would not have existed and humans would have become extinct.

“Don’t be tender with your boy and don’t treat him like a flower. When he makes a mistake, violence (alternative translation: “firmness”) is a must. Let him become strong, violent and macho, otherwise he will only be a 50-per-cent man.”

The group was also outraged by another Eskandar song and video [Jomhouryet Albi] that depicts the evils that come from having women in the workforce.

HELEM has received a written confirmation from both venues that Mohamed will not perform the two songs. A plan to organize a protest outside the venues was dropped after this agreement was reached.

Mohamed Eskandar