US to deport Cat Stevens to Britain
US to deport Cat Stevens to Britain I am not privy to all the information that the Home Security people are, but it's that same people that put Ted Kennedy on the no-fly list. Islam does have a reputation of speaking for peace, and against terrorism.Former pop singer Cat Stevens, a Muslim, will be deported to Britain because his activities could be "linked to terrorism," a US official said.
Britain complained about the decision and Arab-Americans and Muslims voiced outrage over the treatment of Stevens, known as Yusuf Islam since he shelved his singing and songwriting career and became a Muslim in the 1970s.
Born Steven Demetre Georgiou in July 1947 to a Swedish mother and a Greek Cypriot father, the singer changed his name to Cat Stevens when he entered the music world. He had a string of hits in the early 1970s including Morning has Broken, Wild World, Moonshadow and Peace Train, before converting to Islam in 1977.
US Homeland Security spokesman Brian Doyle said Islam was being put on the first available flight back to Britain. His Washington DC-bound plane was diverted yesterday to Bangor, Maine, after his name turned up on US lists of suspected terrorists.
"Why is he on the watch lists? Because of his activities that could be potentially linked to terrorism. The intelligence community has come into possession of additional information that further raises our concern," Doyle said.
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"Yusuf Islam is perhaps one of the most widely known and respected personalities in the Muslim world. He has a long history of promoting peace and reconciliation and condemning terrorism," said Nihad Awad, the group's executive director.
Islam was denied entry to Israel in 2000 after the authorities there accused him of supporting Hamas. The former pop star denied the charges and said his charitable donations were for humanitarian causes.
Among the charities he has supported are children affected by the war in Bosnia and in Iraq as well as victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against America, which he condemned.
Islam was travelling with his daughter, who was allowed to stay in the United States.
Kurt Nimmo has more to say about this
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