My statement was almost entirely ignored - and thus the myth was perpetuated. I issued a statement myself to clear up the misinformation, but the truth never made the headlines. Perhaps some journalists and a few DJs made a bit of a career out of blowing this up out of proportion.ĭid you ever think about issuing a statement to clear up misconceptions about the incident? If anyone had just sincerely reached out to me and asked me for the truth - none of this would be an issue today and I would not have been disconnected with the public for so long.
#Peace train cat stevens free
As for banning my music and records, it seems my “freedom of speech” was not quite as free as that of others - except when what I said was totally distorted. To quote one of my lyrics, “Why must we go on hating? Why can’t we live in bliss?” But it seems some people were intent to damage my character, they tried to trap me and paint me into a box, taking what I said out of context. One only has to view my music and all the charitable efforts I’ve been involved in since I left the music business and even before that. Albums were banned, songs pulled from albums.įor years after that, I have been viewed as someone capable of saying such words and doing such things, which I never actually said or did! The fact is I have always held strong humanitarian views I always stood for the elimination of conflict and wars, and any of those causes that ignite them. The backlash here was particularly fierce. If you ask a Bible student to quote the legal punishment of a person who commits blasphemy in the Bible, he would be dishonest if he didn’t mention Leviticus 24:16. The next day the newspaper headlines read, “Cat Says, Kill Rushdie.” I was abhorred, but what could I do? I was a new Muslim. At a lecture, back in 1989, I was asked a question about blasphemy according to Islamic Law, I simply repeated the legal view according to my limited knowledge of the Scriptural texts, based directly on historical commentaries of the Qur’an. So, after many years, I’m glad at least now that I have been given the opportunity to explain to the public and fans my side of the story in my own words. I was innocently drawn into the whole controversy. I had nothing to do with the issue other than what the media created. I’m very sad that this seems to be the No. The Rushdie fatwa incident seems to be accepted as fact here, despite the fact that no one seems able to cite your endorsement of it. And if you listen to my music and lyrics, like “Peace Train” and “On The Road To Findout,” it clearly shows my yearning for direction and the spiritual path I was travelling.
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However, I had found the spiritual home I’d been seeking for most of my life. To my fans it seemed that my entering Islam was the direct cause of me leaving the music business, so many people were upset. When I accepted Islam, a lot of people couldn’t understand. Why do you think there was so little understanding? Your religious conversion seems so basic, yet people’s reactions were hyper-critical. There are many people who also want me to visit their communities and I enjoy that greatly, meeting and sharing thoughts and, of course, enjoying wonderful hospitality. is to reconnect with my fans, those who feel I turned my back and who deserve an explanation. Was there a particular reason for your recent U.S. And he’s covering America on a speaking tour that just might clear the air of a decade’s worth of rumor. VH1 is trying to land him for an episode of Behind the Music. Universal is in the process of launching a complete reissue program of his catalogue with the prospects of a box set later in the year. But it’s a new century, and Yusuf Islam is back in the news. He released a number of albums that sold quite well internationally, though they received little attention in the States. Meanwhile, Islam quietly worked to a number of charitable ends in his native London.
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His songs were banned from radio and his religious beliefs publicly ridiculed. 10,000 Maniacs pulled Stevens’ “Peace Train” from In My Tribe. As happens, with the passing of time fiction become fact, myth becomes legend. If you’re enamored with the notion of an endless scavenger hunt, try to find that endorsement somewhere in writing. Yet when Cat Stevens, the tremendously popular British singer/songwriter, gave up the life of a music superstar to become Yusuf Islam, the most private of personal decisions became something to mock and ultimately to scorn stateside.įor more than a decade, Islam’s name has been mud for “endorsing” the Ayatollah’s fatwa against author Salman Rushdie for writing The Satanic Verses. From Martin Luther to Mohammad Ali, in one sense or another they have helped create and define our nation. Religious awakenings and conversions are nothing new.