Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, can't quite seem to avoid religious/political controversy, though he is clearly expending effort to tread on contentious ground diplomatically.
Sunday, in response to Pope Benedict's notably undiplomatic speech, which contained this fateful quote from a 14th-Century Byzantine emperor — "'Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached'" — Islam/Stevens said, "At one point, I used to believe that the pope was infallible," referring to his Catholic schooling as a boy.
The Pope "should have looked elsewhere if he wanted to quote," he continued. "But we respect the pope and his position," he said, adding it was good Benedict had retracted his statement "in a way."
However, Islam, not wanting to alienate a world full of Catholic potential fans, became uncomfortable with even that relatively mild a criticism of the pontiff, and issued a "restatement" of his message to the Pope:
"Yusuf Islam's respect for the head of the Catholic Church and his position remains unaltered. However, he believes the quote the Pontiff chose was inappropriate and suggested another quote by Mahatma Gandhi, whose interpretation of Islam was much more peaceful. In Young India, he wrote, 'I become more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers and his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle.'"
Islam is also sending a personally signed copy of the reissue of his book The Life of The Last Prophet to the Pope for his library, "hoping the understanding and dialogue between people of the great faiths of Islam and Christianity will advance towards a more enlightened future of knowledge, charity and peaceful co-existence," the message on his site states.
Article comments
1 - Triniman
Is there any reference for this, "...he went hard-core Muslim in '77, and not regular old Western-style Muslim, but kill-the-infidel, lost-his-mind, jihadi Islamist. "
I was more into Star Wars in '77 and didn't follow Cat Stevens' transformation into a Moslem back then.
2 - MCH
Favorite Cat Stevens' verse:
"Mary dropped her pants by the sand,
And let the Parson come and take her hand."
3 - Eric Olsen
T-man, there's a fair amount of background here - the most obvious thing was he agreed with the death fatwa against Rushdie at the time, though he later modified that position.
MCH, I doubt he'll come up with anything quite so earthy or whimsical this time around!
4 - SHARK
Cat Stevens vs the Pope = an epic marketing battle between two marginalized guys in funny hats
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Personal anecdote warning:
I hated Cat Stevens even before he became Islam.
Back in the late 60s -- early 70s, among certain of my contemporaries -- there was a nascent "Jesus freak" fad. It seemed that everytime we ended up at some "Jesus freak's" house for a pot/Sangria wine party -- they would put on Cat Stevens. Like Pavlov's Dog, I came to associate his music with stoned, goofy hypocrite motards who were "like into God".
I always figured Cat would become a snake-handler or a TV evangelist -- and I was sorta right. I just had the wrong Dogma by the tail.
5 - Eric Olsen
classic line: "an epic marketing battle between two marginalized guys in funny hats"
And I think yours is a pretty common perception of the Cat, but tht is sort of what I am reacting against by saying when I listened to that hits collection a couple of years ago, I was consistently impressed by how well his best has held up purely as song recordings - socio-cultural implications aside.
6 - Michael J. West
the most obvious thing was he agreed with the death fatwa against Rushdie at the time, though he later modified that position.
A little bit of an unfair characterization.
When the death fatwa was declared, Cat Stevens was interviewed as a very public figure and a very public Muslim and asked this--and only this: "Does the Koran really call for the execution of somebody who mocks Allah and Islam in the manner that Rushdie did?"
Stevens' answer? "Yes."
And immediately he was branded a lunatic and someone who wanted to see Rushdie's head on a pike. It was really sensationalized beyond reasonable proportion.
7 - Vern Halen
Melodic gift or not, he never interested me.
8 - Eric Olsen
MJW, I'd say the characterization of his specific commitment to dogma at the time is open to debate, but I don't think there's much question his tone has changed over time. Why is it now okay to write, record, and publicly perform pop msuic now after 28 years? Because he says so? At minimum, he displayed the zealotry of a convert for many years
9 - Michael J. West
Why is it now okay to write, record, and publicly perform pop msuic now after 28 years? Because he says so?
That, EO, is a good question. And has he given it an answer?
10 - Jamie Grey
bbc.co.uk
You can read and listen to what Yusuf actually said at the above link. As you can see, the headlines the papers printed where grossly exagerated. BTY Yusuf Islam was never a "kill-the-infidel, lost-his-mind, jihadi Islamist"...far from it. I wish people would research reliable sources before believing everything they read.
11 - Eric Olsen
thanks for the link Jamie, very helpful - as to why now? Essentially, because he says it's time. He said he quit music to "get a life," he did, and now it's time to return. Fine with me.
Regarding my characterization of his attitude when he converted - I think it's accurate
12 - Jamie Grey
You're welcome, Eric. It disturbs me so much when the news creates sensationalized headlines and in the article leave out much of what was said by the person who was being interviewed. That little blurb that people read on google news, or wherever, is what they believe. They actually basically changed the meaning of what Yusuf was saying. You're article was good except for the jihadi Islamist comment, imho!!! I feel the Rushdie incident was blown out of proportion just like this lastest thing.
I've heard a couple of songs from the album that NPR had up for awhile and they are great!
13 - Eric Olsen
thanks, like I said, I think what he said about the Pope is about as mild as it gets. I think it's great he's doing a pop album now, showing that Islam and "normal" secular life are not incompatible. He has obviously changed a lot! I still think he was pretty wild-eyed when he converted, and that isn't unusual.
I am eager to hear the new material
14 - Connie Phillips
Congrats! A link to this article now appears on our Myspace Profile page.
15 - SHARK
E.Olsen: "...he [Cat/Islam] agreed with the death fatwa against Rushdie"
M. West: "...A little bit of an unfair characterization."
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Q: "Does the Koran really call for the execution of somebody who mocks Allah and Islam in the manner that Rushdie did?"
Stevens' Answer: "Yes."
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Since it's also "against" the Koran to disagree with anything in it...
CONCLUSION:
Olsen's = FAIR CHARACTERIZATION.
PS: EO, I agree that Cat could turn out a fine catchy tune; I'll also point out that Charles Manson wrote a pretty good song for the Beach Boys.
16 - Usama Abubakar
Being "against" is something different from being "insulting" towards someone. We Muslims believe Koran as the divine word of God. Koran teaches us to tolerate the disagreements put up by the non-muslims with its teachings but at the same time we are neither taught nor we do tolerate blasphemous remarks as have been cited by the Pope. The Pope, being a person of the highest rank in Catholic church, is not supposed to show such a superficial approach towards such a miscomprehended issue of the Islamic spread.
17 - Mike
i guess you can go to youtube and watch "Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens-His Life And Conversion". sounds he still believes in the teachings of Jesus. he talks peaceful, religious and logical at the same time. he doesn't appear to be the "kill-the-infidel, lost-his-mind, jihadi Islamist." i disagree on this comment. i wonder what went wrong with him? why would he want to kill Rushdi. its not like him. he looks more human than islamist/moslem.
18 - X
Can you believe everything your read or hear? Of course not, so keep looking and listening...
check out Wikipedia's info about the Stevens/Islam vs. Rushdie issue...
skip down to the section "Salman Rushdie controversy" and read the quotes from that time. Yes, people can change, but don't let people tell you what they did or didn't say when you can read the quotes from that time. Maybe he was reading the Koran too literally at the time, then so be it, but he wasn't apologetic about wanting someone dead for what they wrote in a book. That doesn't hold up in a US court as a reason to kill someone.
19 - Anne
I continue to admire Yusuf Islam (form Cat Stevens) in how he conducts his life publicly. I don't think any of us can say we know him. I think this kind of forum bear witness to the hold he has had on all of us. He was wildly popular in the early 70s and his music was lovable, as he is. He has since championed the cause of the Muslim people worldwide who have been targeted by Western economic might to further marginalize them. I fully expect him to fund Nobel Prize level projects. He might even garner one himself.
20 - samiya drabu
Aslamu alikum,
I love yousuf islam,as he embrace islam,and he is encouaging others towards islam,especailly kids.Allah almighty has shown you the light from darkness,you are blessed one.