I Freakin' Love Freddie Mercury And, Of Course, Muslims Hate Him

(UPDATE: An Anonymous reader corrects me. Freddie Mercury was not a Christian. He was a Zoorastrian. Didn't know that. Additionally, the reader says my interpretation of Mercury's lyrics below are completely wrong. That would not surprise me. Mercury seemed to be openly hostile to religion through much of his life.)

Many are not aware that Freddie Mercury was born in a Muslim country. I don't think he was Muslim himself. I believe he was a Christian (which I know seems a strange thing to say about such a hedonist), because of the following lyric:


You say Rolls I say Royce
You say car give me a choice
You say Lord I say Christ
I don't believe in Peter Pan
Frankenstein or Superman


Go ahead, my Christian brothers and sisters, and argue with me if you wish. But, that sounds like a profession of faith to me.

But, I digress.

:)

The point is, Muslims hate Freddie Mercury that they can't even allow a celebration of his birthday in his own home town:


ZANZIBAR, Tanzania (AFP) - Organizers of a 60th gala birthday party for the late Zanzibar-born rock star Freddie Mercury, have cancelled the weekend event after outraged Muslims threatened to disrupt it.

Faced with fierce opposition from Islamists, who complained the flamboyant Queen lead singer's lifestyle was offensive to many on the overwhelmingly Muslim archipelago, organizers said they had no choice but to call it off.

"We have decided to cancel the party after misleading and erroneous information was spread about it," said organizer Simai Mohamed Saidi, who runs a Freddie Mercury theme restaurant in the capital.

"I urge Muslim groups in the future to seek correct information from us instead of relying on rumors," he said in an open letter, adding the event was intended to be celebration to honor Mercury, who died of AIDS in 1991.

Saidi also lamented that the cancellation would hurt his intention to use the party to raise money for HIV/AIDS victims on Zanzibar.

Conservative Zanzibari Islamists last week demanded that authorities ban the party and then vowed to stage mass demonstrations if it went ahead, saying it would tarnish the islands' reputation and culture and promote homosexuality.

"We were ready to join forces against the party because we had information that a number of gays from abroad had come to take part," said Sheikh Azzan Hamdani of the association for Islamic Mobilization and Propagation (UAMSHO).

"We had also written letters to the tourist commission and the owner of the Mercury restaurant, demanding that they stop the party," he told AFP.

The authorities, who have long tip-toed between secular constitutional ideals, the demands of a booming tourist industry and the wishes of conservative Muslims, never formally responded to Islamists.

But Zanzibar's information ministry this week ordered local state-run media not to give the event any coverage.

Few on Zanzibar are aware of Queen or Freddie Mercury, who was born Farrokh Bulsara on the main island of Unguja to Persian parents employed by the British colonial administration on September 5, 1946.



Earlier today, I left the following comment on Pim's Ghosts post about "Islam-mania" manifesting itself in the latest fashions:


The reason we decided to call this blog the Infidel Bloggers Alliance is because we believe we need to glory in our Infidel-ness. I, personally, am a Christian. Thus, I am considered by Muslims to be part of the "people of the book." I am entitled to special treatment by Muslims as a person of the Book. Technically, I am not an Infidel.

But, you know what? Fuck that. I'd rather be known to a radical Muslim as an Infidel, an enemy. Because, certainly, I consider them my enemies.


No one was a better Infidel than good old Freddie Mercury. My favorite Freddie Mercury moment was when he came out on stage at Live Aid (the rock n' roll benefit concert broadcast to over a billion people around the globe) and bent over and simulated opening open his butt cheeks for the whole world.

It was such a great way to say "Kiss my ass" to all the pomposity of the event, and to all those who he well knew hated Western Civilization anyway.

You go, Freddie. You da man. Well, kind of.

;-)