Singer Cat Stevens not allowed in US.

[hyperborean]

Now this is getting silly. Would this be the patriot act in motion? I will admit that I Loved some of his songs and find it ironic that he sung about personal freedoms yet turned to Islam.

A plane bound for Washington from London was diverted to Maine on Tuesday after passenger Yusuf Islam -- formerly known as pop singer Cat Stevens -- showed up on a U.S. watch list, federal officials said.

"He was interviewed and denied admission to the United States on national security grounds," said Homeland Security spokesman Dennis Murphy. He said the man would be put on the first available flight out of the country Wednesday.

In a statement on his Web site, he wrote, "Crimes against innocent bystanders taken hostage in any circumstance have no foundation whatsoever in the life of Islam and the model example of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,133095,00.html

 

[BarbB]

He burned his bridges with me 20 years ago or whenever he converted and started spouting junk about the USA and HIS FANS. That really takes nerve. Well, I threw his records out and erased him from my memory banks. What a jerk.

 

[hyperborean]

He burned his bridges with me 20 years ago or whenever he converted and started spouting junk about the USA and HIS FANS. That really takes nerve. Well, I threw his records out and erased him from my memory banks. What a jerk.

Well I never went that far. Some people have different ways of dealing with things, especially when one is rich and famous. Some turn to drugs and end up dead, some just drop out of sight, some become born again Christians.

 

[BarbB]

I'm not rich or famous - why'd I become a born-again Christian?

I have to be honest here - I don't know why it bothered me so much but he spent the first 5 years of his conversion badmouthing the US and his fans. Why? Don't know, but the bridges were definitely burnt down!

 

[Zoot]

You don't have to convert to Islam to point out America's crimes, but NEVER badmouth my fans.




I love you guys.

 

[rahma]

Yusuf Islam travels frequently to the United States. I've seen him on a number of occasions. He is a very soft spoken man who radiates peace.

First Tariq Ramadan, now Yusuf Islam. I'm beginning to think there is some sort of conspiracy in the the executive branch to keep moderate muslims out of the United States. I better not take that trip to Egypt, or they might not let me back in.

 

[BobbieDog]

I'm not rich or famous - why'd I become a born-again Christian?

I have to be honest here - I don't know why it bothered me so much but he spent the first 5 years of his conversion badmouthing the US and his fans. Why? Don't know, but the bridges were definitely burnt down!

My fundamentalist Christian born and bred wife, is just not going to understand this one. If I'm in trouble when buying her an anniversary present, then I just have to ferret out some Cat Stevens recording.

This isn't like Marlyn Manson. You don't have to argue for the human decency buried in odd lyrics. This a person whose whole musical heritage just breathes spiritual dedication: I can't think of a single lyric that anyone could object to. Out of the crazy maelstrom that is the music industry: this guy just radiated spirit reason and peace. Like Cliff Richards (our musical Christian, like a mildly rockin' US Pat Boone) this guy got into this stuff, and witnessed for it, when it definitely wasn't cool, and way before either were rich.

Newlamb, could you document and expand upon what you mean by badmouthing the US and fans? What exactly was it that for you amounted to burning bridges?

I couldn't pull up the Fox story (got a blank Fox background), but I'll assume it's true.

I think this may lay down some benchmark in the judgment as to what security driven profiling has become under the Patriot Act. While many people could not raise the data to assess Ramadan, and his exclusion: lots of people are going to feel more qualified with Cat Stevens; this could lead to credibility erosion.

 

[oldrooster]

Yusuf Islam travels frequently to the United States. I've seen him on a number of occasions. He is a very soft spoken man who radiates peace.

First Tariq Ramadan, now Yusuf Islam. I'm beginning to think there is some sort of conspiracy in the the executive branch to keep moderate muslims out of the United States. I better not take that trip to Egypt, or they might not let me back in.

I always thought he was rather mellow, doesn't look like much of a threat to me. This is getting redicuolus.....

 

[elanor]

I just read this! I can't believe it.

Here's my favorite quote from the CNN article:

According to U.S. officials, he is an active supporter of Muslim charities.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/09/22/plane.diverted.stevens/index.html

Well, there ya go, then! We can't have a man who supports charities entering this country! The next thing you know, he'll be supporting civil rights!! Ya gotta draw the line somewhere.

 

[FromTheAshes]

It's usually nice to dismiss "police state" screamers as the tin-foil-hat jobs they are, but it's stuff like this and Echelon that just plain make you wonder. It's already very clear that a large segment of our government doesn't give a darn about individual rights.

 

[BobbieDog]

Well, there ya go, then! We can't have a man who supports charities entering this country! The next thing you know, he'll be supporting civil rights!! Ya gotta draw the line somewhere.

Somewhere in the irrational darkness that motivates and drives all this, just such reasoning is being laid down. Charities not always supporting some orthodoxy concerning what is good and American, could be creeping on to some blacklist.
Given what Medecine without Frontiers said about US policy, as they pulled out of Afghanistan: will they now be seen as apologist for America's enemies; as not putting enough red white and blue water between themselves, and those America has come to deem its enemies.
Those who earn America's ire in this way, do seem to end up having more "accidents". Its Aljazeera journalists and offices, who accidentally get killed and destroyed by "wayward" American fire. And I'm sure I remember reports from the first Falluja siege, when a forewarned Red Crescent convoy was fired upon by US checkpoint troops, and those in the vehicle behind the Red Crescent head, went to meet their maker.
So yes, it does all seem to depend on the politics the USA comes to discern in a particular charity. This sits awkwardly with the sentiments of Bush's UN speech.

 

[mpshiel]

I have heard him interviewed on BBC several times. I think more likely is that they don't want public or prominant critical Islamic figures who are likely to get on the news or have ther views aired coming into the US. Call me cynical but the US government policy has gone from lightly spinning to overtly spinning and then commending reporters on telling what turns out to be big fat bogus "truths" - (as seen in the deliberate misinformation given during military operations) - If the US sees itself (the "peace" declared in May 2003 notwithstanding) in a state of war then I could see justification for an overlying "propeganda plan" which would basically involve making sure that the right type of stories were given to the press and the wrong ones kept away (like for instance though the last week was one of the bloodiest in Iraq, it is barely spoken of, as it has been for the last month - Which has been noted by Editors over here - as it has the effect of convincing most people that Iraq is "in control" or not a large problem so the more Kerry speaks about it and the less it is heard of, the more Bush appears to be in control and Kerry out of control.

 

[Firscherscherling]

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the word

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day


What an evil jerk, eh. My family sings this song together every Easter.

 

[Kelly]

I thought he had donated money to Hamas?

 

[Mϋzikdϋde]

Yeah, his lyrics are really deep and spiritual. At least they were 35 years ago. I still love his stuff. However, though his lyrics may not have changed that doesn't mean that his attitude and beliefs are the same.

I find it interesting that people cite issues from 35 years ago in an attempt to invalidate the President's credibility and then cite song lyrics from the same era to validate an expatriate.

What the heck is wrong with us?

I mean, I could write and sing a Satanic worship song but it wouldn't make me a Satanist. It might make me a subject for a psychological profile but that's about it. Of course, if I had a name like "Cat" it might be understandable.

 

[Amalthea]

When did the President get credibility?

 

[BlessedMan]

You people are missing the point here. THIS Yusif Islam is NOT necessarily on the watch list, but A Yusif Islam definitely is. It was clearly a case of mistaken identity. Unfortunately, we're only to the point where we have names on that list...not necessarily faces to go along with those names. I'm glad that they did what they did, because if the "REAL" Yusif Islam is suspect enough to be on that list than action needed to be taken.

P.S.-Didn't realize he wrote Morning has Broken...nice song.

 

[crazyfingers]

I have a vague memory from a few years back that Cat Stevens had once commented that he had agreed with the death sentance decreed by Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini on british author Salmon Rushdie for his book Satanic Verses. The claim was that the book insulted islam.

However I may be misremembering.

 

[Amalthea]

He didn't write Morning Has Broken.

 

[Mϋzikdϋde]

When did the President get credibility?

Credibility boils down to personal opinion and what an individual believes to be true. So, with some, he has credibility while with others he does not.
If it were so cut and dry or if the entire human race felt he had no credibility, people wouldn't need to go through so much trouble to invalidate it.
Besides, that wasn't the point, nor is this the thread for that discussion.

I should have used Kerry for an example so here ya go...

People dig up issues from 35 years ago in an attempt to invalidate Kerry's credibility.

It's a two way street, both sides are doing it.

Now, back to the Cat.