Justin Bieber Urged to Cancel Saudi Arabia Performance by Jamal Khashoggi’s Fiancée

Hatice Cengiz, the woman who was engaged to murdered Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi, is urging the singer to steer clear of Saudi Arabia.

November 22, 2021

Justin Bieber sits curtsied at the Staples Center — Image via Getty/Kevork Djansezian
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Justin Bieber’s return to touring on his upcoming Justice World Tour is going to see plenty of fan engagement, especially after he had to call off the remainder of his previous tour nearly half a decade ago. He even has a set coming up as a headliner at Formula One’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

But not everyone is thrilled by that leg of Bieber’s tour.

Hatice Cengiz, the woman who was engaged to murdered Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi, is urging the singer to steer clear of the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, penning an op-ed for the Washington Post, titled “Please, Justin Bieber, Don’t Perform in Saudi Arabia.” Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has denied any involvement in Cengiz’s fiancée murder in 2018, but a U.S. intelligence report implicated him in Khashoggi’s death.

“Do not sing for the murderers of my beloved Jamal,” Cengiz wrote. “Please speak out and condemn his killer, Mohammed bin Salman. Your voice will be heard by millions… If you refuse to be a pawn of MBS, your message will be loud and clear: I do not perform for dictators. I choose justice and freedom over money.”

Bieber—whose latest studio album was actually titled Justice—isn’t the only big name hitting the show, as other performers include A$AP Rocky, DJs David Guetta and Tiesto, and Jason Derulo. Human rights organizations have urged all the men performing to speak out and pull out of the event, with Human Rights Watch writing that “Saudi Arabia has a history of using celebrities and major international events to deflect scrutiny from its pervasive abuses.”

Bieber, who has submitted some of his work for Grammy consideration this year, is currently awaiting nominations on Tuesday. Notably, the Canadian icon submitted “Peaches” for R&B categories, after his 2020 effort Changes landed in pop categories despite his efforts.

“I set out to make an R&B album,” Bieber said at the time. “Changes was and is an R&B album. It is not being acknowledged as an R&B album which is very strange to me.”