Fact Check

Was 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Banned in Georgia Due to 'Islamic' Lyrics?

No word from Wayne and Garth on this one.

Published Jan. 22, 2022

5th June 1982:  Freddie Mercury (1946 - 1991), lead singer of 70s hard rock quartet Queen, in concert in Milton Keynes.  (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
5th June 1982: Freddie Mercury (1946 - 1991), lead singer of 70s hard rock quartet Queen, in concert in Milton Keynes. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Claim:
The state of Georgia banned the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody" because of "Islamic" lyrics.

On April 23, 2020, the religious parody website Religimarole published an article positing that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp banned the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody" because of the song's "Islamic" lyrics:

Bohemian Rhapsody banned in Georgia unless Islamic lyrics altered.

ATLANTA, GA. Legislature in Georgia has banned the song Bohemian Rhapsody 45 years after its release because some evangelical Christian was watching the docudrama starring Remy Malek and was told what the lyrics in the song mean and organized a protest to government.

"The song was an American anthem. It's even got a gun and shooting a man in the head. How much more American can you get?" said Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, "But there are just one too many things unChristian." (...)

But the problem for him is that the word Bismillah is the Arabic word for "In the name of Allah" and is the first word and most frequent phrase in the Quran. "Islam is our enemy and American won't stand for it."

This item was not a factual recounting of real-life events. The article originated with a website that describes its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

"A humorous parody and satire blog for all things Religimarole. Biting Religious Satire. An atheist's wet dream."

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more

Article Tags