• Why Jihad Watch?
  • About Robert Spencer and Staff Writers
  • FAQ
  • Books
  • Muhammad
  • Islam 101
  • Privacy

Jihad Watch

Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Hugh Fitzgerald: Sunday Night at the Oscars (Part One)

Feb 25, 2019 5:23 pm By Hugh Fitzgerald

Rami Malek, the son of Egyptian immigrants, won the Oscar for Best Actor last night. Arab websites were both ecstatic about his win, and curiously silent about Malek’s background. Here is the story as Al Jazeera covered it:

The actor of Egyptian descent said his win for the role of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was ‘monumental moment’….

Malek speculated about what he would have made of the honor as a child.

“I think his curly-haired mind would have been blown,” he said. “That kid was struggling with his identity, trying to figure himself out.”

He lauded Bohemian Rhapsody for telling the story of a gay man and an immigrant who lived his life as “unapologetically himself.”.

Mercury, who was born in Zanzibar to parents from India, moved to England with his family as a teenager.

Malek noted that he himself is the son of immigrants, from Egypt, and a first-generation American. He gave a shout-out to his mother – “I love you, lady” – and regretted that his father was not alive.

My dad didn’t get to see me do any of this, but I think he’s looking down on me right now,” said Malek, who gained attention in the television series Mr Robot….

Malek was asked about what the role meant, especially on an Oscar night that celebrated diversity in movies ranging from Roma to Black Panther.

“I grew up in a world where I never thought I was going to play the lead on Mr Robot because I never saw anyone in a lead role that looked like me,” Malek said.

“I never thought I could play Freddie Mercury until I realised his [birth] name was Farrokh Bulsara.”…

Growing emotional when he called the award “beyond any expectation” that he or his family could have had, he said it was proof that “anything is possible”.

Fellow Egyptians and fans around the world were quick to congratulate Malek on his win.

Twitter users posted their heartfelt wishes and appreciation for Malek’s remarks, which he delivered in his acceptance speech….

“Rami Malek is paving the way for Egyptians and any kind of middle easterners you can be great in anything you do if you put the work in to it, don’t let the fact that you came from a third world country stop you.”

Repeatedly Al Jazeera referred to Rami Malek’s Egyptian background: “The actor of Egyptian descent”; “the son of immigrants, from Egypt”; “Fellow Egyptians”; “Rami Malek is paving the way for Egyptians.”

Al Jazeera, however, carefully left out any mention of what is surely of most significance in Rami Malek’s background: he is a Coptic Christian. It may even be that his family came to America in order to escape from mistreatment by Muslims, and from the general atmosphere of fear which so many Copts must endure. Al Jazeera’s writers and editors no doubt hope that readers will simply assume that Rami Malek is Muslim; their silence is telling.

And also telling is how they covered the story of Freddie Mercury, the frontman with Queen about whom Malek notes that “I never thought I could play Freddie Mercury until I realized his [birth] name was Farrokh Bulsara.” That’s all Al Jazeera chose to report about Freddie Mercury.

But Mercury belonged, and Malek belongs, to peoples who suffered similarly from the arrival of Islam. Mercury was a Parsee (Persian), a descendant of those Zoroastrians who migrated to India from Persia during the Arab invasion of 636–651 AD to escape persecution, and possible death, from the Muslim conquerors. According to his parents, Freddie Mercury was very proud of his Parsee ancestry, though he did not often speak of it. Al Jazeera doesn’t mention Mercury’s background at all, save for giving his birth name as “Farokh Bulsara.” Al Jazeera thus leads many to assume that Freddie Mercury was Muslim at birth — how many would recognize that name as Parsee? — with “Farokh” taken to be  a variant of “Farouk,” a common first and last name among Arabs that means “the Redeemer.”

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Follow me on Facebook

Filed Under: Featured, Hugh Fitzgerald, journalistic bias Tagged With: Al Jazeera, Freddie Mercury, Rami Malek


Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Comments

  1. ntesdorf says

    Feb 25, 2019 at 5:29 pm

    Thanks for the real story behind the frontline story. As usual MSM deceives.

  2. Or Else! says

    Feb 25, 2019 at 5:41 pm

    “Immigrant” is now a weapon-against-Trump word. Trump is NOT anti-immigrant. He is anti-ILLEGAL-immigrant.

    The cynic in me says that Hollywood WANTS racism, sexism, homophobia etc. to continue…perpetuating the stories so they can capitalize on them and become rich. Is there anything more ironic than social activists wearing the latest fashions while accepting golden statues?

    Raising awareness? Or raising new mansions in Beverly Hills? And they champion socialism….good luck with that.

  3. lebel says

    Feb 25, 2019 at 5:47 pm

    “left out any mention of what is surely of most significance in Rami Malek’s background: he is a Coptic Christian. It may even be that his family came to America in order to escape from mistreatment by Muslims, and from the general atmosphere of fear which so many Copts must endure. Al Jazeera’s writers and editors no doubt hope that readers will simply assume that Rami Malek is Muslim; their silence is telling.”

    He himself left it out and prefered to call himself simply an Egyptian. There are Muslim actors in hollywood as well.

    • gravenimage says

      Feb 25, 2019 at 5:52 pm

      The idea that Al Jazeera is even-handed when it comes to Infidels is absurd.

      And the claim that Rami Malek keeps his being a Copt hidden is quite false.

      • Rufolino says

        Feb 26, 2019 at 3:16 am

        I understood the Oscars these days to be a political platform for “persecuted minorities”.
        I therefore find Malek’s omission of his identity as a Coptic Christian inexplicable.
        Unless it has something to do with Christianity no longer being fashionable.

        • lebel says

          Feb 26, 2019 at 11:23 am

          Think of it like an American calling himself an American rather than a Christian.

        • eduardo odraude says

          Feb 26, 2019 at 12:29 pm

          Muhammad says there is to be no punishment for murdering someone who insults him

          For example, in Sunan Abu-Dawud, a canonical hadith collection:

          Book 38, Number 4348:

          Narrated Abdullah Ibn Abbas [a companion of Muhammad]:

          A blind man had a slave-mother [a slave who bore children for him] who used to abuse the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and disparage him. He [the blind man] forbade her but she did not stop. He rebuked her but she did not give up her habit. One night she began to slander the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and abuse him. So he [the blind man] took a dagger, placed it on her belly, pressed it, and killed her. A child who came between her legs was smeared with the blood that was there. When the morning came, the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) was informed about it.

          He assembled the people and said: I adjure by Allah the man who has done this action and I adjure him by my right to him that he should stand up. Jumping over the necks of the people and trembling the man stood up.

          He sat before the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: Apostle of Allah! I am her master; she used to abuse you and disparage you. I forbade her, but she did not stop, and I rebuked her, but she did not abandon her habit. I have two sons like pearls from her, and she was my companion. Last night she began to abuse and disparage you. So I took a dagger, put it on her belly and pressed it till I killed her.

          Thereupon the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Oh be witness, no retaliation is payable for her blood.

          Another canonical hadith:

          Sunan Abu-Dawud, Book 39, Number 4349:

          Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib [the fourth caliph, and the son-in-law of Muhammad]:

          A Jewess used to abuse the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and disparage him. A man strangled her till she died. The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) declared that no recompense was payable for her blood.

    • Wellington says

      Feb 25, 2019 at 6:52 pm

      So what, lebel, if there are “Muslim actors in Hollywood as well?” Would such Muslim actors have as much freedom in ANY of the 56 majority-Muslim nations on earth as they do here in America, let alone non-Muslims in these 56 backward countries?

      Yes, lebel, these 56 are all backward, only the degree is a variable, and Islam is the chief cause for this backwardness—in fact, minus Western technology, in the engineering fields, the medical field, etc., which have been applied in Islamic nations, said nations would be beyond “mere” backwardness and all of which actually only demonstrates all the more just how terrible it is what Islam does to the human mind. Islam is not only a threat to the physicality of man (34,000+ Islamic terrorist attacks worldwide just since 9/11 “help” to confirm this), it is also a threat to the cognitive powers of man. It functions as an almost perfect recipe for making human existence a sort of mental prison and incapable of “thinking outside the box.”

      You keep missing the BIG PICTURE, lebel. Included in this “miss” is that Coptic Christians in Egypt, per Islamthink and application of Islamthink, are treated as second-class citizens (if even this) compared to Muslims in Egypt. Get this? No, of course, you don’t.

      Muslims come to Western nations and are accorded equality under the law, the right to criticize Western governments, the right to openly seek converts to their religion, the right to build their houses of worship, et al. In what Muslim nation do non-Muslims have the same opportunities without fear of death hanging over their head? (N.B., Tunisia just won’t count here, lebel, so don’t try that one again).

      Your turn, lebel. And know full well that I don’t hate all Muslims anymore than I hate all white supremacists. Both adhere to something rotten but one can think a person terribly confused, bigoted and simply wrong without hating them. But you CAN hate what they adhere to. For instance, the KKK. As another example, Islam.

      • lebel says

        Feb 26, 2019 at 11:43 am

        “in fact, minus Western technology, in the engineering fields, the medical field, etc., which have been applied in Islamic nations, said nations would be beyond “mere” backwardness and all of which actually only demonstrates all the more just how terrible it is what Islam does to the human min”

        There are plenty of non Muslim backward nations,, what’s their excuse?

        ISecond, don’t think you hate all Muslims but this is because of your own moral code since your ideology can and will logically lead to such a conclusion; example:

        1. Muslim are exactly like Nazis
        2. I hate all Nazis (would many people have a problem with such a statement?)
        3. Therefore I hate all Muslims (this is where you are being a little bit self-deceptive).

        This is one of the reason why your comparison is very dangerous. The other is that it’s simply wrong, what Nazi countries would have jews in key political positions? what Nazi country would have Jews and Christians thriving and living out their entire life therein ?

        Islam is more comparable to nationalism and national-socialism would be comparable to ISIS.’s ideology.

        • eduardo odraude says

          Feb 26, 2019 at 12:34 pm

          Muhammad says your “lives and property” are not safe from him unless you become a Muslim

          In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the two most canonical hadith collections:

          Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 24:

          Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:

          Allah’s Apostle said: “I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform all that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah.”

          Sahih Muslim, Book 031, Number 5917:

          …Ali went a bit and then halted and did not look about and then said in a loud voice: Allah’s Messenger, on what issue should I fight with the people? Thereupon he (the Prophet) said: Fight with them until they bear testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger, and when they do that then their blood and their riches are inviolable from your hands but what is justified by law and their reckoning is with Allah.

        • gravenimage says

          Feb 26, 2019 at 11:17 pm

          It seems the appalling lebel is fine with dhimmitude and Muslim violence against Jews and Christians and other Infidels.

          But then, given his posting history here, who can be surprised by this?

  4. DHazard says

    Feb 25, 2019 at 6:14 pm

    He’s a very popular actor and my opinion on the matter is irrelevant. I did a brief google search on “is rami malek coptic christian” and only found reference to the fact that his parents are both of that faith. Al Jazeera would definitely downplay that. Muslims often want it both ways. The red herring here is that Freddie Mercury was gay and died of AIDS. So the celebration among Egyptian and other Muslims is doubly ironic.

    • Rufolino says

      Feb 26, 2019 at 3:19 am

      Good point indeed !
      The irony that gay people are in fact killed by Islam struck me too !!

      • gravenimage says

        Feb 26, 2019 at 11:19 pm

        True–Freddy Mercury never could have been who he was in Dar-al-Islam. He would not have survived.

  5. Prebangian says

    Feb 25, 2019 at 6:52 pm

    Malek is reminiscent of Omar Sharif: “He was born Michel Chalhoub in Alexandria, the son of well-to-do Lebanese-Syrian Christians, Claire (nee Saada) and Joseph Chalhoub, and educated at a private school and at Cairo University. He worked briefly and reluctantly in his father’s lumber business but fell for the lure of acting, and was delighted when a friend, the director Youssef Chahine, offered him a role in the film Struggle in the Valley (1954). The female star was Faten Hamama, who was greatly taken by her leading man and in the same year became his wife, Sharif converting to Islam in the process.”

  6. Or Else! says

    Feb 25, 2019 at 9:12 pm

    One of the buzz words for Leftywood is “immigrant”. They LOVE him for that. He’s thinking about his career. He’s not going to derail an Oscar win by appearing “Trumpish”.

  7. sidney penny says

    Feb 25, 2019 at 11:31 pm

    “Al Jazeera, however, carefully left out any mention of what is surely of most significance in Rami Malek’s background: he is a Coptic Christian. It may even be that his family came to America in order to escape from mistreatment by Muslims, and from the general atmosphere of fear which so many Copts must endure. Al Jazeera’s writers and editors no doubt hope that readers will simply assume that Rami Malek is Muslim; their silence is telling.”

    For the same reason many Coptic Christians went to Australia in order to escape from mistreatment by Muslims,

  8. Amnon says

    Feb 26, 2019 at 3:19 am

    Stop islamasizing every thing ffs. ☹
    They had omar sharif. Let them enjoy the acclaim. Zionist run Hollywood is not always incontrol of who gets an oscar. Even Streisand had to make do with a golden globe for best dorector for Yentl.

    • gravenimage says

      Feb 26, 2019 at 11:30 pm

      I see Amnon id demanding that we not speak about the persecution of the Copts–all while ranting about “Zionist” Hollywood and pretending that Jews opposed the Oscar going to Malek. *Ugh*.

  9. Kesselman says

    Feb 26, 2019 at 6:16 am

    Interesting background story, and as usual Al Jazeera is just a loudspeaker for ignorance and common stupidity.

  10. martin says

    Feb 26, 2019 at 7:08 am

    Thanks for the info, yes I had assumed he was muslim. Making a note not to assume next time.

  11. ronyvo says

    Feb 26, 2019 at 8:40 am

    It is a well known fact that Muslims alter, distort and with out any shame misrepresent any facts in history or even scientific issues for Islam.
    I would tell Rami Malek to remember what our Lord Jesus said “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” Matt. 10:33
    I, also, want to remind him with all of our huge numbers of Martyrs including those 21 Egyptians (Coptic) in Libya who have lost their precious LIVES for refusing to deny their Christian faith facing those vicious Muslim criminals.
    Don’t let fame or money steal your eternity.

    • gravenimage says

      Feb 26, 2019 at 11:34 pm

      Wise words, Ronyvo. I know you are a Copt yourself.

  12. Barry Togay says

    Feb 26, 2019 at 8:58 am

    While we’re on the “anything is possible” theme it might be good to add “in The USA.”
    It is certainly not true that anything is possible everywhere or even most places and that is why so many immigrants want to come here.

    It could be accurately said that he made good because of his talent, the opportunities offered here and in spite of his Egyptian, Indian or Presian background. Although he is right to honor his family and ancestors who contributed in some way to what he is. It is also understandable that people of those backgrounds feel some pride in his accomplishments. But of course, it is correct to point out the error of someone who wants to falsely claim credit for contributing to his success.

  13. TruthHonestReality says

    Feb 26, 2019 at 9:43 am

    The left lies and their constant deceit, denial and delusion to the truth is shameful. People have never been more mistrustful of the media than it is now and for good reason. Even in this case, the laziness and laxative facts behind the story is yet another example of the leftist bubble todays current media reside in and reality rarely intrudes.
    Covington
    Jussie smutlett
    7 yr old Jazmaine murder blamed on a white man except it was two fellow blacks.
    That’s just a few of the most current cases of the leftists racist media bubble over the last month, if I wanted to list the last 6 months of fake news, lies and disingenuous “stories” millions of Americans believe to be true I would make a massive post that would take days to read.

FacebookYoutubeTwitterLog in

Subscribe to the Jihad Watch Daily Digest

You will receive a daily mailing containing links to the stories posted at Jihad Watch in the last 24 hours.
Enter your email address to subscribe.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!
If you are forwarding to a friend, please remove the unsubscribe buttons first, as they my accidentally click it.

Subscribe to all Jihad Watch posts

You will receive immediate notification.
Enter your email address to subscribe.
Note: This may be up to 15 emails a day.

Donate to JihadWatch
FrontPage Mag

Search Site

Translate

The Team

Robert Spencer in FrontPageMag
Robert Spencer in PJ Media

Articles at Jihad Watch by
Robert Spencer
Hugh Fitzgerald
Christine Douglass-Williams
Andrew Harrod
Jamie Glazov
Daniel Greenfield

Contact Us

Terror Attacks Since 9/11

Archives

  • 2020
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2009
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2008
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2007
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2006
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2005
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2004
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2003
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • March

All Categories

You Might Like

Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Recent Comments

  • J. Morgan on Iranian Kurdistan: Muslim brothers behead their sister in honor killing over her romantic relationship
  • ELI on Uighur leader: ‘We’re actually quite worried’ about what Biden might let China get away with
  • revereridesagain on Erdogan: ‘Turks must defend the rights of Jerusalem, even with their lives’ for ‘the honor of the Islamic nation’
  • James Lincoln on Erdogan: ‘Turks must defend the rights of Jerusalem, even with their lives’ for ‘the honor of the Islamic nation’
  • Carol on Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, France and UAE conduct joint military exercises amid rising Turkish threat

Popular Categories

dhimmitude Sharia Jihad in the U.S ISIS / Islamic State / ISIL Iran Free Speech

Robert Spencer FaceBook Page

Robert Spencer Twitter

Robert Spencer twitter

Robert Spencer YouTube Channel

Books by Robert Spencer

Jihad Watch® is a registered trademark of Robert Spencer in the United States and/or other countries - Site Developed and Managed by Free Speech Defense

Content copyright Jihad Watch, Jihad Watch claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to their respective owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Our mailing address is: David Horowitz Freedom Center, P.O. Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, CA 91499-1964

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.