The performer says she was being "ironic."
What's a Madonna performance without a bit of controversy, whether it's a nip slip in an Islamic nation or calling President Obama a "Black Muslim" in the nation's capital? During her Monday night concert at Washington's Verizon Center, the aging pop star offered an endorsement of Obama that is music to the ears of those who've spent the past four years casting him as "other."
"Y'all better vote for f-----g Obama, OK?" she said. "For better or for worse, we have a Black Muslim in the White House. That's some amazing s--t. It means there is hope in this country."
On Tuesday, Madonna released a statement explaining her remarks.
"I was being ironic on stage. Yes, I know Obama is not a Muslim (though I know that plenty of people in this country think he is). And what if he were? The point I was making is that a good man is a good man no matter who he prays to. I don't care what religion Obama is — nor should anyone else," she said.
If more people were as clever as Madonna thinks she is, her brand of self-described irony might work. But according to a survey published by the Pew Research Center in July, 17 percent of Americans, including 30 percent of Republicans and 34 percent of conservative Republicans, said they believe the president is a Muslim. Just 49 percent of Americans correctly identified him as Christian.
BET Politics - Your source for the latest news, photos and videos illuminating key issues and personalities in African-American political life, plus commentary from some of our liveliest voices. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
(Photo: Cory Schwartz/Getty Images)
On Facebook
On Twitter
