By: Vickie J. Rubinson
Michael Jackson's sudden death at age 50 provoked an outpouring of emotions from Muslims and Arabs who paid tribute to the pop star whose conversion to Islam and brief residence in the Gulf helped cement his popularity among a global fan base.
Despite ruling the charts and dazzling audiences with trademarks like the "moonwalk" in the 1980s, Jackson's career was overshadowed by his phsyical transformation and multiple allegations of child abuse.
Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Isa Al Khalifa, the Bahraini prince who had a falling out with the "King of Pop" in 2008, publicly mourned his death as a tragic loss to the music industry in a statement in the Gulf News Daily.
Jackson moved to Bahrain with his children after his 2005 acquittal of child molestation charges and lived there for a year as a guest of the royal family. But after disagreement over plans for a concert comeback fell through his benefactor filed a lawsuit against him for $7 million that ended in an out of court settlement in 2008.
Yet Bahrainis, many of whom were accustomed to glimpsing the reclusive Jackson sporting a black women's abaya, connected to Jackson on a cultural level as many felt he was one of them.
"He had many faults but he came to the Middle East and felt at home here. I respect his cross-cultural awareness which knew no bounds," a Bahraini fan said on a Facebook page dedicated to the star.
Michael Jackson's sudden death at age 50 provoked an outpouring of emotions from Muslims and Arabs who paid tribute to the pop star whose conversion to Islam and brief residence in the Gulf helped cement his popularity among a global fan base.
Despite ruling the charts and dazzling audiences with trademarks like the "moonwalk" in the 1980s, Jackson's career was overshadowed by his phsyical transformation and multiple allegations of child abuse.
Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Isa Al Khalifa, the Bahraini prince who had a falling out with the "King of Pop" in 2008, publicly mourned his death as a tragic loss to the music industry in a statement in the Gulf News Daily.
Jackson moved to Bahrain with his children after his 2005 acquittal of child molestation charges and lived there for a year as a guest of the royal family. But after disagreement over plans for a concert comeback fell through his benefactor filed a lawsuit against him for $7 million that ended in an out of court settlement in 2008.
Yet Bahrainis, many of whom were accustomed to glimpsing the reclusive Jackson sporting a black women's abaya, connected to Jackson on a cultural level as many felt he was one of them.
"He had many faults but he came to the Middle East and felt at home here. I respect his cross-cultural awareness which knew no bounds," a Bahraini fan said on a Facebook page dedicated to the star.
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