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Moroccan Gov't Seeks to Distance Itself from Bill Clinton by Criticizing Provocative Jennifer Lopez Performance

J-Lo performs in Morocco. (AP)
June 1, 2015

The Moroccan government is pretty tight with former President Bill Clinton. King Mohammed VI recently hosted a Clinton Foundation gathering in Marrakech, funded in part by a $1 million–$5 million donation from a state-owned phosphate mining conglomerate. Attendees at the the swanky gathering, according to the Washington Post, were "chauffeured across the city to an opulent 56-room palace that boasts a private collection of Arabian horses, overlooks the snow-capped Atlas Mountains and serves a fine-dining menu of 'biolight' cuisine."

Like many Clinton associates, the Moroccan government has been called out for unseemly behavior. Watchdog group Amnesty International recently issued a scathing report on human rights abuses in Morocco, such as the widespread use of "violent interrogation tactics" against political dissidents.

Morocco is also the site of the massively popular Mawazine music festival, which this year featured performances by Pharrell Williams and Jennifer Lopez. According to reports, J-Lo's set was a hit with the more than 160,000 fans in attendance. However, in an apparent effort to distance itself from renowned female enthusiast Bill Clinton, the Moroccan regime denounced the performance as overly provocative:

[L]ocal media criticised the pop star for her "suggestive poses" and for being "scantily" dressed during a show that was broadcast on public television, albeit with a slight delay.

Government spokesman Mustapha Khalfi, a member of the Islamist Justice and Development party, strongly denounced the broadcast on state television.

"What was broadcast is unacceptable and goes against broadcasting law," Khalfi wrote on Twitter.

It is not known whether Bill Clinton was in attendance, or if any Moroccan citizens will be violently interrogated for their roles in the "unacceptable" broadcast.