08/29/2006
Zanzibar Muslims Shun Freddie Mercury
Conservative Muslims on the island chain of Zanzibar are extremely unhappy that a local restaurant owner who runs a Freddie Mercury-themed club and cafe there wants to celebrate the late Queen frontman's 60th birthday with a beach party.
They are asking the cultural ministry of Tanzania, where the semi-autonomous chain of islands is located, to ban the bash:
"'There are people claiming that Freddie Mercury is a Zanzibari but he grew up outside Zanzibar and then changed his name. Associating Mercury with Zanzibar degrades our island as a place of Islam,' UAMSHO chief Abdallah Said Ali wrote, adding that the singer was known to have been homosexual, died of AIDS and had lived a wild life many Muslims would condemn. 'Allowing such a function for a person known outside Zanzibar as a homosexual tarnishes the name of Zanzibar. Let us protect our good culture.'"
Gay sex is illegal in Zanzibar, punishable by 25 years in prison.
Posted 2:08 PM EST by Andy in Freddie Mercury, Music, Zanzibar | Permalink
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Zanzibar? Um, let them keep their "good" name as far as I'm concerned. There's a reason that Feddie left and changed his name.
Posted by: Wayne | Aug 29, 2006 2:24:51 PM
I didn't realize Zanzibar had any particular reputation, good or otherwise. It's hard to tarnish the good name of a chain of islands that you've only heard of once or twice in geography class.
Posted by: Brian | Aug 29, 2006 2:33:05 PM
Well, then, I say "BOYCOTT ZANZIBAR". Let's show them and stop spending our filthy gay money in their malls, markets or whatever.
Posted by: JT | Aug 29, 2006 2:35:04 PM
"Zanzibar is for haters"
Now there's a t-shirt I'd pay for.
Posted by: Brian | Aug 29, 2006 2:52:12 PM
This may partially explain Freddy's reluctance to come out of the closet.
Posted by: Anon | Aug 29, 2006 4:21:16 PM
Are there any sane non extreme members of Islam. And all you here from the spokespeople is bitching and griping and fatwaing. Shut Up!
Posted by: Donald | Aug 29, 2006 4:24:34 PM
False report - freddy Mercury was from BOMBAY, INDIA and his original name is FREDDY BALSARA. he was Parsi by birth (Parsi's are a religious sect in india who moved from iran to india when the islamic movement started in iran 200 yrs back).
Posted by: whataguy | Aug 29, 2006 5:07:16 PM
False report?
Well, Amnest Int'l should still condemn them too.
~
Posted by: Gilli | Aug 29, 2006 5:38:41 PM
From Wikipedia:
Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on the African island of Zanzibar (at the time a British colony, now part of Tanzania). His parents... were Indian Parsis; Zoroastrians of Persian descent. The family had emigrated to Zanzibar in order for Bomi to continue his job as a middle-ranking cashier at the British Colonial Office... Mercury was sent back to India in order to attend St. Peter's boarding school near Bombay (now Mumbai)... Mercury completed his education in India at St. Mary's High School in Mazagon before returning to Zanzibar. He was 17 when he and his family finally fled to England, as a result of the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution.
Posted by: GBM | Aug 29, 2006 5:55:14 PM
Freddie could give Islam a bad name... yeah like the extremist acts of beheading and banning women from school don't.
Posted by: mark m | Aug 30, 2006 9:05:19 AM
A Freddie Mercury-themed club and cafe? I know where I'm going for vacation next year.
Also, this is just going from memory so correct me if I'm wrong, but I read a few years ago that the first rock record allowed to be sold in Iran since the 70s (rock music was banned with the Ayotollah in charge) was a Queen's greatest hits album.
Posted by: John T | Aug 30, 2006 11:11:48 AM
The bar in Zanzibar is called Mercury's and I got a chance to eat there this past summer. Great place, small on the beach in "stone town" Was just a cool experiance being there and seeing the pictures and getting a Tee shirt.
Posted by: Beast | Jan 4, 2007 3:50:46 PM
If the Muslims didnt like it then why didnt they just ignore what was going on and get on with their own oh so interesting lives? Oh I get it, they were jealous. Well they can't blame the dude who organised the party for not thinking they'd want an invittion.
Long Live Freddie!!!
Posted by: Rachel James | Mar 20, 2007 9:49:19 AM