Madonna was being "ironic" when she referred to President Obama as a "black Muslim" onstage at a concert in Washington D.C. Monday night, the singer said in a statement reported by Reuters. The pop star was urging fans to vote for the president when she said, "For better or for worse, all right, we have a black Muslim in the White House, OK? Now that is some shit."
The singer later clarified her comments through a rep, saying, "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?"
Madonna continued, "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 in America."
It's the latest furor to emerge from her ongoing MDNA tour. Madonna left behind a trail of outrage in Europe, where she superimposed a swastika on the face of a right-wing French politician in a video montage; enraged Paris fans with a last-minute show they thought was too short; displayed World War II-era footage of the Warsaw Uprising at concert in Poland; challenged a gay-pride ban in St. Petersburg, Russia; and called for the release of jailed Russian punk band Pussy Riot in Moscow.
