Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) to release an album

Coda1108 · Mayor's Aide Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 130 Location: PA

I just read an article about Yusuf Islam, formerely known as Cat Stevens, about his decision to release a commercial album... his first since the mid-1970's.

As you probably know, Cat Stevens abandoned his career, I believe in 1978, and converted to Muslim. He sold all his instruments, and donated the proceeds to Muslim organizations... and has used the royalties from his music to support Muslim teaching organizations. Most recently, he was turned away from entering the United States after 9/11 because of his Muslim practices. This was soon after 9/11 and is quite sad, as he has never had any ties whatsoever with Muslim Extremists.

In an interview, he states that he's accomplished what he set out to as a Muslim, and that his heart never strayed far from music, even though he didn't play for many years.

As much as you can tell from the written word, he comes across as a man at peace with himself, returning to one of his loves, which is self-expression through music. He's had an interesting life, and I'm curious to hear what the music sounds like. The album has songs written over twenty years ago, and some written recently, specifically for the album.

julian4239 · Mayor Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 211

I don't know enough about Cat Stephens, but here's an interesting article about him.

Is Cat Stevens a Terrorist?
Why Yusuf Islam was turned away from the United States.
by Stephen Schwartz
09/22/2004 5:43:00 PM

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ON TUESDAY, U.S. authorities diverted a United Airlines London-Washington flight to Bangor, Maine, where the ex-pop singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, now as Yusuf Islam, was questioned by federal security agents, and then ordered deported back to Britain. Yusuf Islam, it turns out, is on the official "no-fly list."

This action will doubtless provoke loud and prolonged guffaws from those who consider American security policies to be excessive. But a look at the career and associations of Yusuf Islam since he became a Muslim in 1977 shows that the decision was correct.

Yusuf Islam is already well known for his public endorsement of the death sentence issued by Ayatollah Khomeini against Salman Rushdie in February 1989. "Salman Rushdie, indeed any writer who abuses the prophet or indeed any prophet under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death," he said at the time. In addition, he has been barred from entering Israel because of alleged financial aid given to terrorist groups.

Is the singer a terrorist himself? Probably not. Is he an active sympathizer of terrorist groups? Perhaps not as much as he was in the past.

But Yusuf Islam is most certainly a fundamentalist Muslim, whose views are radical enough to set him at odds with the great majority of the world's Islamic adherents, and they are no better expressed than in his comments on his own field of expression: music.

Wahhabism, the state religion in Saudi Arabia, and the inspirer of al Qaeda, is especially known for its hatred of music. In
Wahhabi theology, all music except for drum accompaniment to religious chanting is haram, or forbidden. For anybody who has had contact with Muslim civilization, this is a fairly shocking bit of information, since music is one of the great glories of Islamic culture.

Yusuf Islam has demonstrated his sympathy for this posture on several occasions. Above all, he is careful to point out his caution about bucking the Wahhabis in this realm. In 1997, he released an album titled I Have No Cannons That Roar, dedicated, he said, to the cause of the Bosnian Muslims. In an interview with Stephen Kinzer, appearing in the New York Times on December 8, 1997, he commented on the project, "I've . . . used a very conservative approach. You only hear my own voice, a slight choral accompaniment and drums. Let's say that's the safest option according to certain Islamic schools of thought. I've made minimal use of musical instruments, and in some schools of thought in Islam musical instruments are disapproved of."

This attitude was particularly dissonant given that Bosnian Muslim music is anything but conservative, and Bosnian songs about the recent war used violins, accordions, and numerous other instruments considered haram by radical Islamists. One popular Bosnian soldiers' ballad included a verse declaring devotion to their "old songs," which would be anathema to Wahhabis. But for Yusuf Islam, honoring the Bosnians, who had shed their blood defending their religious identity, was less important than honoring fundamentalism.

The album itself has been advertised in a misleading way by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), part of the "Wahhabi lobby" that imposes Saudi theology on the majority of American Sunni Muslims. The ISNA website falsely describes Yusuf Islam as "the primary composer and lyricist" of the album. Actually, he wrote only two of the songs. Most of the rest were composed by a Bosnian poet, Dzemaludin Latic, who is notably moderate in his views and--full disclosure here--a close friend of mine. When I saw him in Sarajevo a month ago, Dzemo Latic was writing a memorial article for Czeslaw Milosz, something Yusuf Islam would probably never think of doing. And the Bosnian songs on that album employ haram instruments.

Coda1108 · Mayor's Aide Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 130 Location: PA

Interesting. I do recall several articles like this one appearing when it happened. I was under the impression that most of the "beliefs" about Yusuf's activities were proven to have been exaggerated, though I'm not completely sure which, etc.

Some might say Yusuf Islam is releasing an album as a way to appear as one who doesn't follow all Muslim extremist beliefs. On the other hand, a peaceful Muslim would release an album, simply because he wants to, and not care what people think.

Personally, I don't know him so I can't judge him. I know that attitude will get some people's dander up... but that's okay.

julian4239 · Mayor Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 211

Yeah, I heard about this controversy, but I don't know enough about it.

reviewer · Mayor's Aide Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Posts: 145

It's a shame that "Muslim" is a dirty word in the US. Most people equate "Muslim" with "terrorist", which is so incorrect as to be offensive. Ignorance is what causes terrorism - let's not practice it ourselves.

Coda1108 · Mayor's Aide Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 130 Location: PA

reviewer · Mayor's Aide Joined: 04 Dec 2006 Posts: 145

I did not mean any offense. I was speaking in general terms rather than about this board specifically. In my humble opinion, anti-Muslim sentiment is very high in the US.

Coda1108 · Mayor's Aide Joined: 13 Jun 2006 Posts: 130 Location: PA

Sadly, this is true in many parts. I'm from NY, where diversity is a way of life, and therefore anti-muslim sentiments are not the norm. I do know of places this isn't true, unfortunately.

Alla Prima · Congressional Page Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 6

Alla Prima · Congressional Page Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Posts: 6