Muslims force cancellation of Freddie Mercury birthday bash on Zanzibar

Yahoo AFP ^ | 08/31/06 | Issa Maalim

[Borges]

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.

But the appearance of posters advertising the beach party to celebrate what would have been his 60th birthday in recent weeks prompted the Islamist complaints.

Although he was educated in India and moved with his family to Britain in 1964, Mercury, who died in 1991, remains perhaps Zanzibar's most famous son to many westerners and rock music fans.

[FlingWingFlyer]

If this doesn't make the Liberal DemocRATS mad at the Islamic Fascists who are trying to kill us, NOTHING WILL!

[Catholic Canadian]

So basically he was an arab and a butt pirate?

[Political Junkie Too]

Conservative Zanzibari Islamists... wishes of conservative Muslims...

Huh? Is there also a liberal wing?

-PJ

[VOA]

Muslims are like Baptists

Radical Islamics do serve one purpose.
They make observant Christians (of many stripes) look like ACLU libertines.

Other things Islamics don't like:
1. lawns in our American cities
2. the way American women dress
3. can't get a decent haircut in America
(those 3 were amongst the b-tches of Qutb, the radical Islamist
that attended university in Greeley, CO, and was executed after
he returned to Egypt)

4. Italian food
(as revealed by Italian police surveillance tapes of an Islamic
terrorist cell)

[Red Badger]

I'm a Baptist........Where's my machete?.......

[wideawake]

He was actually neither a Muslim nor an Arab.

His parents were Parsees - Zoroastrians of Persian descent living in India, who emigrated to Zanzibar before he was born.

[Red Badger]

Lawns?.......what's wrong with lawns?......Mine has too many weeds, but it ain't that bad!........

[Lekker 1]

If only Freddie Mercury was only a pedophile instead of gay, there would be no issue

[Fiddlstix]

I'm a Baptist........Where's my machete?.......

Hmmmm.....
I don't know where your machete is......

(Note to self: Do not accept an invitation to Sunday dinner at Red Badger's house.)

[Red Badger]

You should see how "fresh" our fried chicken is!..............

[Minutemen]

"Zanzibar's most famous son"

What??? none of the likes of Churchill? Washington? Napolean? tsk,tsk.

[VOA]

Lawns?.......what's wrong with lawns?......

I suspect it was seen as a sign of decadence; using water for
beautification that could be use to raise crops/animals.
And all the time spent cutting it could be spent bowing up and
down praying to Allah.

I know that sounds flippant, but my understanding is that is just about
the vision of the radical Islamists, as a reactionary approach to the
secular approach of leaders like Nasser.

[RichInOC]

[cue Queen--"We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions"]

[doug from upland]

Islamists are nuts.

(But 60th gala birthday celebration for someone who died at 45?)

---

They're using the metric system.

[sandbar]

>>>But didn't a Muslim country host Michael Jackson?>>>

It's ok, cause he diddles little boys. Big difference.

[duckman]

"I urge Muslim groups in the future to seek correct information from us instead of relying on rumors,"

I urge Muslim groups in the future to get a friggin life.

[BenLurkin]

Nonsense.

Harmful nonsense to boot!

[BJClinton]

In Texas sell some booze on Sunday morning and what happens?
You get arrested/ticketed then fined.
Refuse to pay the fine and go to jail.
Try to escape from jail or resist arrest and they'll shoot you.
All this because of Bible-thumpin southern baptists.

Muslims just avoid the paperwork.

I'm being a little sarcastic

[GreenOgre]

Then why aren't they burning down his restaurant if they are so outraged by Freddie Mercury?

Give em time. Maybe one of them will find a match.

The muslims aren't bright enough to realize Freddy was born Zoroastrian.

[bdog2995]

I'm offended by them sawing peoples heads off with knives and swords but that isn't stopping them now is it?