American rapper Akon has become the unlikely subject of religious rumor in Southeast Asia once again after a Myanmar newspaper claimed he has converted to Buddhism.
Together with the News Week Journal story, vaguely sourced from social media, was an image of the singer’s head that appeared to have been photoshopped onto the body of nationalist monk Ashin Wirathu.
“The famous singer Akon has changed religion from Islam to Buddhism and apologizes that he makes a mistake,” the report read.
While Akon’s people have not publicly commented on the report, the Senegal-born rapper spoke extensively about his Muslim faith in Morocco last week.
Akon was banned from performing in Sri Lanka in 2010 after outrage erupted over a very hard to see Buddha statue in his ‘Sexy Chick’ video.
The video mostly focused on gyrating bikini-clad women who, according to the lyrics, were preferable to the “neighborhood whore”.
The target of ire, however, was a statue of Buddha in the background of one shot.
In response, a mob ransacked the office of his booking agent in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, and Akon was denied a visa.
Photo/ Wikicommons/ Sandra Alphonse
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