SINGAPORE: The publishing of a photo that included an American singer tattooed with the Arabic word “Allah” has forced Malaysia's the Star newspaper to apologize after anger fomented in the country. The photograph of singer Erykah Badu, who was scheduled to hold a concert in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, was published in Monday's edition of the newspaper, but it led to a backlash among readers who were offended by the tattoo. “We deeply regret any offense caused to Muslims and sincerely apologize for the oversight,” the Star said. Tattoos in Islam are forbidden and the use of the Arabic word for God, “Allah,” is looked upon by many conservative Muslims as blasphemy. Civic groups in the predominantly Muslim south-east Asian country criticized the newspaper, noting that tattoos of Islamic religious scripture are considered an insult to Muslims. Mashitah Ibrahim, a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said that while Americans and non-Muslims view tattoos as an art form, the name of Allah should not be used in that way. Nadzim Johan, leader of Muslim Consumers Association, said the Star should have been conscious of the sensitive nature of the photograph and should have censored it. The Ministry of Home Affairs asked the chief news editor, the managing editor and the senior editor to submit a written explanation of the incident within a week. Human rights activist and blogger Mohamed Rishad in Kuala Lumpur told Bikyamasr.com that while the criticism is well-founded, the newspaper should not be blamed for what someone else is wearing or has on his or her body. “At the end of the day, the newspaper was publishing a photo of a musician, an American one at that, so while we can get angry, it is not fair to the newspaper to get the people's anger,” he said. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/r3EZk Tags: Erykah Badu, featured, Islam, Malaysia, Tattoo Section: East Asia, Latest News, Media, Religion