News from Civsy, based on human monitoring, generative AI tools and retrieval-augumented real time data searchAlexandre Paulikevitch’s “Cabaret Paulikevitch” at Metro Al‑Madina in Beirut became, in late summer 2025, one of the most visible tests of how far organized religious extremists are willing to go to police bodies, gender expression and artistic space in Lebanon. On 15 August 2025, the Lebanese dancer and artivist released a short video promoting a second performance of his cabaret, scheduled for 11 September 2025, in which he appears performing what he calls baladi dance, the social form often labelled “belly dance”. The clip, posted on his social media channels, triggered a coordinated campaign of incitement, threats and calls for a ban from both Christian and Islamist actors who framed the performance as an attack on religion, nature and public morals
Alexandre Paulikevitch and baladi as resistance
Paulikevitch has long presented himself as one of the very rare male baladi dancers in the Arab world, using the form to question gender norms and reclaim a dance that he situates at the heart of urban Arab popular culture. His solo pieces and cabarets, including earlier projects such as “Cabaret Baladi” and “Cabaret Sursock”, combine dance, music, spoken word and visual aesthetics that draw on the imagery of nightclub stages and traditional weddings while insisting on the presence of a visibly queer male body. This artistic positioning is inseparable from his activism: Paulikevitch has participated in protest movements in Lebanon and has spoken publicly about how article 534 of the Penal Code, used to criminalize same‑sex relations, and everyday homophobia shape the risks he faces as a performer. In this sense, “Cabaret Paulikevitch” is not just entertainment but part of a longer project that uses dance as a language of resistance and visibility in a fragile and polarized society.
Incitement campaign and religious actors
The August 2025 promotional video quickly attracted hostile attention from Jnūd al‑Rabb (“Soldiers of God”), a small but aggressive Christian extremist group that has developed a reputation for street intimidation and moral policing in Beirut’s Christian neighbourhoods. In a TikTok video, a spokesman for the group threatened to “destroy the theater” and called on religious leaders and state authorities to ban the show, describing it as a celebration of perversion and something that “goes against nature”. At the same time, Sheikh Hassan Merheb, deputy inspector general of Dar al‑Fatwa and a preacher known for his interventions in media controversies, posted a video on X where he showed images from Paulikevitch’s cabaret, called a man dancing baladi “disgusting” and “provocative”, and urged religious institutions, the ministries of culture and education, and state security to intervene. The artist later reported that alongside these public denunciations he received direct insults and offensive messages via his personal social media accounts and phone, illustrating the personal cost of such campaigns for targeted artists.
Jnoud al‑Rabb and Christian extremism in Lebanon
Jnoud al‑Rabb emerged around 2019 as a self‑styled Christian “security” group, mostly active in parts of Beirut, which claims to protect faith and society from refugees, LGBTQ+ people, civil marriage advocates and anyone they label as sinful. Reporting by Lebanese and international media, as well as academic work, has documented how the group mixes vigilante street presence, online incitement and close ties to segments of the political and religious establishment, and has been repeatedly linked to banker Antoun Sehnaoui as a key funder, a connection he has denied or dismissed. Their role in the Paulikevitch case reflects a pattern in which Jnoud al‑Rabb weaponize claims of protecting Christianity to pressure venues, municipalities and security agencies to shut down events, often joined by other conservative actors who see cultural expression as a battlefield.
Outcome and significance for artistic freedom
Despite the escalation of threats and calls for a ban, “Cabaret Paulikevitch” eventually went ahead at Metro Al‑Madina on 11 September 2025, drawing a sold‑out audience and intense media attention. Coverage of the performance emphasized both the fear created by the threats and the atmosphere of solidarity inside the venue, where the artist’s appearance in sequined dresses and corsets, dancing baladi as a man, was widely read as a statement of defiance toward both Christian “Soldiers of God” and Islamist preachers who had united against him. In interviews around the show, Paulikevitch insisted that he is “just dancing” while also underlining that the price he pays for being visible is part of a wider struggle over bodies, gender and artistic expression in Lebanon’s shrinking civic space. For observers of cultural rights, the case illustrates how informal censorship through intimidation, religious mobilization and social‑media harassment can be used to test the limits of artistic freedom, even when the state does not formally ban a performance.
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In September 2025, Lebanese dancer and artivist Alexandre Paulikevitch brought “Cabaret Paulikevitch” to a sold-out Metro Al-Madina in Beirut, after weeks of online incitement and explicit threats from both Christian extremists of Jnoud al-Rabb and Islamist preachers calling for the show to be banned.
Their campaign framed a male baladi performance as “perversion” and an attack on religion, illustrating how gender expression and queer-coded art have become frontline targets in Lebanon’s shrinking civic space.
Mimeta Memos documents this case as part of the wider pattern of informal censorship, intimidation and coordinated harassment used to police bodies, venues and artistic content in the country today.
#ArtisticFreedom #Lebanon #Beirut #AlexandrePaulikevitch #Baladi #LGBTQ #CulturalRights #HumanRights #Censorship #MimetaMemos
“Lebanese dancer Alexandre Paulikevitch defies threats with sold‑out Beirut show” (AP, video and text, syndicated to various outlets).[youtube]seattletimes+1
“A Lebanese dancer defies extremist threats and social norms with his sold-out performances”, AP text republished in outlets including the Independent and other international media.independent+2
“Alexandre Paulikevitch” entry with career overview and references.[en.wikipedia]
Les Inrockuptibles feature on “Cabaret Baladi” and the political message of his baladi work.[lesinrocks]
Sursock Museum programme note for “Cabaret Sursock”.[sursock]
Ticketing/event information for Paulikevitch’s cabaret performances in Beirut (Metro/Sursock and related listings).[ihjoz]
“A Night of Terror in Beirut Sponsored by Jnoud Al Rab”, Daraj, on the group’s attack on a queer‑friendly bar and their discourse and methods.[daraj]
“How did Jnoud el Rab come to be?”, Beirut Today, on the group’s emergence, agenda and alleged links to banker Antoun Sehnaoui.[beirut-today]
“Jnud al‑Rab”, Wikipedia entry summarizing the group’s history, ideology and activities.[en.wikipedia]
“The rise of Soldiers of God: Is Beirut back to the time of the militias?”, International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) analysis.icsr+1
Amnesty International and Beirut local press on Jnoud al‑Rabb’s attack on queer‑friendly Om Bar and broader pattern of violence against LGBTQ+ spaces.amnesty+2
“Antoun Sehnaoui” biographical entry, including references to his banking role and mentions in discussions of militia or extremist funding.[en.wikipedia]
