I refer to the Star report where PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub has claimed that the Linkin Park concert on Oct 15 will erode the morals of the young. For the PAS Youth chief to state that the concert would lead to zina (illicit sex), kissing, drug abuse and the use of alcohol are, in my view, amusing.

If the authorities were to heed the call by PAS Youth to revoke the Linkin Park permit, tourists would be scared away and Malaysians would be denied the chance to enjoy music of their taste. This would only give the impression that Malaysia is a retrogressive state instead of a democratic state that caters to people of all ages, races and beliefs.

It is simply amusing that Salahuddin would make such a presumptuous remark and assume that the public would commit immoral acts just by attending the Linkin Park concert in Stadium Merdeka.

The concert is held in an open area and the authorities have already handed out a list of stringent rules for the group. For example, the Culture, Arts and Tourism Ministry has said that Linkin Park must abide by strict "artist performance ethics" and that "male artists must cover their bodies from the chest to the knees". The ethics also forbid them to leap, scream or throw objects to the audience.

For the Los Angeles-based Linkin Park to pick Stadium Merdeka as the only concert venue inSoutheast Asia is indeed a rare honour.

The group's album Hybrid Theory has already sold 300,000 copies in Malaysia alone. It is only fair for the rock-rap band to reward Malaysian fans who bought their albums.

The six-member band has a reputation for avoiding drugs and alcohol, and for not overusing bad language in their songs. In fact, one of the best highlights about this band in general is that they don't use any swear words at all.

Some people might think that if an album features "rap" or "hip-hop", it is linked to drug use, but this is not true as Linkin Park doesn't mention anything about drugs in their lyrics.

Linkin Park has decided to go with their own original, creative style, and their lyrics happen to be meaningful and clean.