A beach party to honor Freddie Mercury, the late Queen frontman who died of AIDS in 1991, is drawing the ire of a Muslim leader who claims the singer’s homosexuality and lifestyle violated Islam, according to the AP. “That’s why he was branded a Queen,” said Azan Khalid of Zanzibar’s Association for Islamic Mobilization and Propagation, who wants to put a stop to the party, which is set to take place in Mercury’s birthplace of Zanzibar, Tanzania. Khalid has said that the waterfront restaurant, Mercury, which was named for the singer, will be barred from throwing a party in Mercury’s honor Sept. 2, but the business’ owner, Simai Mohammed, said he has no intentions of complying with Khalid. “Our main idea is to promote tourism and [that] Freddie Mercury was from Zanzibar. It’s part of our history,” Mohammed told the AP. “We are all Muslims and it’s not our intention to offend any religion.”
Talk: Should the Mercury restaurant be allowed to continue with its party plans? COMMENT
On the Web:
queenonline.com
