MANAMA Oct 24 (Reuters) - Police in Bahrain arrested 16 demonstrators during violent protests this week against a concert by Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram, whose performance is deemed immoral by Islamists, newspapers reported on Friday. About 200 protesters trying to block streets leading to the concert threw petrol bombs during pitched battles with police late on Wednesday, but failed to stop the show. "Sixteen rioters, aged between 16 and 25, were arrested by the security forces," newspapers quoted an Interior Ministry official as saying. "They will remain in custody for seven days while their case is investigated." Islamist deputies in the Gulf Arab state's parliament had demanded a ban on the concert, accusing the singer of flouting Islamic values with her "provocative" performance. Pro-Western Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, has often seen protests against the U.S.-led war in Iraq and Washington's perceived pro-Israeli policies. The demonstrations were mostly staged by the kingdom's Shi'ite Muslim majority which spearheaded bouts of unrest in the 1980s and 1990s against the Sunni-dominated government. The small island state, the Gulf's banking hub, has launched reforms including pardoning political prisoners.
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