The denunciation started when some in the Christian community suddenly voiced alarm at a four-year-old Facebook post by the band’s lead singer of an article, written by an American L.G.B.T.Q. activist, that featured an image of the singer Madonna as the Virgin Mary. Some of the group’s lyrics about drowning “my liver in gin, in the name of the father and the son” were then declared blasphemous by Christian activists and clerics— though the songs had previously been performed at the festival. There were threats to cancel the show by force. Christian politicians and clerics weighed in to say the show had to be canceled. The state did little to contain the fury, and the security services interrogated the band members instead of going after those who were inciting the violence. The band faced no criminal charges and yet, they were silenced.

The lyrics of the band’s song “For the Nation” provide a perfect summary of recent events: “When you dare ask a question about the deteriorating situation/ They silence you with slogans about all the conspiracies/ … They drive you to despair, so you sell your freedoms to save the nation.”

For some time , many Lebanese have chosen to ignore the small but growing instances of censorship, much of which take place at the behest of religious authorities. The concert cancellation has jolted them out of their complacency about the status of their country as an oasis of freedom. As Carl Gerges, the band’s drummer, told me, the episode exposed “a reality we didn’t want to accept about Lebanon.” (Full disclosure: I am friends with the band members and a fan of their music.) Two band members who currently live in the United States canceled their trip to Lebanon, while the other two left because of death threats.

In response to the blasphemy accusations, Mashrou’ Leila has said, “Our respect for others’ beliefs is as firm as our respect for the right to be different.”