Marc Perkel Rantz

... "concepts like peace" ?

He may have been a peacenik back when he was smoking weed, but that thought has left the building with Elvis. I seem to remember that Yusif was the peaceful man who said that Salmon Rushdie should be killed for writing The Satanic Versus. Where did Yusif get this idea that it was okay to kill someone for exercising his FREEDOM of speech, expression, and press. His FUCKED UP religious book. That is right, the passenger on the Peace Train thinks it is okay to kill. Why? because the book that his religion of paece follows says so.

Kick the fucker out.

Chalk one up for the good guys.

Specifically for Yusef in response to this situation Tomocius mentioned. Quote from in his own words http://www.superseventies.com/sscatstevens.html

"The Koran makes it clear, if someone defames the Prophet, then he must die. The backlash over reports that I'd supposedly endorsed the death sentence that Islamic fundamentalists had levied against Salmon Rushdie for the alleged blasphemy of The Satanic Verses hurt quite a lot because that whole episode was taken out of context. But it was merely a reiteration of scriptural principle, not a literal call to action."

Yah, sounds like he was pretty adamant about Salmon dying.

Wills, thanks for finding the statement that he issued in his moment of backpeddling. Why do you not find the statement that he made to bring the whole issue about.

http://www.fact-index.com/c/ca/cat_stevens.html

His comments in 1989 concerning Salman Rushdie after the publication of Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses provoked controversy. During this time period an Islamic fatwa (religious ruling) was issued, holding that it was an obligation of Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie. Yusuf Islam publicly stated that Rushdie was indeed guilty of blasphemy against Islam, and Rushdie deserved to be killed. Yusuf Islam has since clarified that he believes that a death sentence can only be carried out by the authority of a court in an Islamic society, and that he is opposed to anyone taking the law into their own hands by murdering Rushdie.

"Yusuf Islam publicly stated that Rushdie was indeed guilty of blasphemy against Islam, and Rushdie deserved to be killed."

This is what the guy said. The fact that later he said it should only be carried out by the authority of a court in an Islamic Society is assinine. ..."deserved to die"?

The Religion of Peace STILL supports the medival thoughts that people should be killed for their religious sins. Yes, the old testament in the Bible says that we should stone adulterers, but the new testament and the teaching of a mythical man named Jesus corrected that stone aged thinking. The Islamist's prophet came and told them that the stone aged thinking was the way 600 years after Jesus modernized the thinking.

If Yusif thinks that a man should die for exercising his FREE SPEECH, than I think that Yusif should be kept out of this country for his FREE STUPIDITY.

Fuck that little twirp.

Another triumph for Pastor General Ashcroft. First Tommy Chong, then Martha Stewart, now Cat Stevens. I certainly feel safer. Don't you?

So why not throw out everyone who does the same? Where does it stop, it doesn't. It is because he had the word Islam in his last name that he was denied entry. The PATRIOT Act is anything but patriotic. Your skewed vision of the United States is really sad.

Wills, your skewed vision is the sad angle. If this country sucks so much, LEAVE. Nothing prevents you from leaving. If you think people can get in here easily, you will be glad to find out it is just as easy to leave. Go live in a muslim country if they have it sooo right. It is not because he has the name Islam in his name, it is because he is a religious radical who thinks that if his SHIT BOOK says you should die, than you should be killed. And to think you are sooo against Bush's killing. YOU HYPOCRITE!

Yes, kick me out because my view differs from yours also. Kick everyone else out too that doesn't agree. You know what, even better, instead of kicking people out of the country, lets kill them, because they are a threat to what we view as democracy. WHERE DOES IT STOP?

Dave, last time I looked, NOBODY made a comment on 9/19's "The US Atrocities that Kerry was exposing".

As far as being on the "No Fly" list, this could have something to do with it:

"During the Gulf War he raised further controversy by his comments in support of Saddam Hussein."

Oddly enough, according to his official web site, he had been to the States just a few months ago.

Wills, I am not kicking you out. What I said is, if you do like it leave. If you want to stay, stay. your free to do what you want. I am here because I like it here. I do not think that there is a better place on the planet. I'll tell you what, if I thought there was a better place, I would leave. And that was my point. What kind of person does it take to stay where he thinks it sucks? I know that when I am somewhere, and I start thinking this place sucks, I head for the door. What kind of person does it take to say, "This place sucks, but hey, I'm staying."

Not to worry Wills, I am not kicking you out.

Dave, what are you talking about?

>>people like Stevens will no longer sing out if they want to sing out<<

He was denied entry because of financial links to Hamas, not because of free speech.

Perkel, do you *EVER* get your facts right?

http://www.juancole.com/2004_09_01_juancole_archive.html#109582366638394688

Simply stated, By virtue of being a (supposedly) democractic society, Stevens, his views, beliefs, Islamic zealotry, and his transcontinental travel should be unfettered. To restrict the passage of ideas, regardless of the interpretive extremism of those convictions, serves only to negate the democratic process. John Ashcroft is a McCarthy-Era Criminal, and the Patriot Act is a freedom blacklisting device designed by the right to control the citizenry.

As usual the paranoia corp is hyperventilating over nothing.

He gave money to terrorists what more do you need to know... maybe it was a mistake, maybe not, but as a non US citizen he has no right whatsoever to enter the country at will. The burden is on him to explain his terrorist financing and if he can establish that he didn't intentionally fund terrorism I'm sure he will be allowed to visit.

It's been proven that the bush family has financial connections with the bin ladens and hitler. Why don't we throw them out too?

I'm sure Marc would be happy to start another anti Bush thread, but your comment isn't particularly relevant here. The bush family are legal US citizens and have entirely different rights.

(not that I accept your premise)

Did Cat live here while he was large? And did he file for Citizenship? I am asking because I do not know.

Also, why do you not accept that they have financial ties that have been proven by numerous sources.

Wills, when you say "they" have ties, who are you talking about. I HIGHLY doubt George W had any dealings with Hitler. I highly doubt George W has dealing with the Bin Ladens. We have not refused Yusif Islam's whole family access to the US, just him. The Bush are allowed to remain here because they have rights as US citzens. Kind of like the rights Billy Carter had when he was in business with Mohamar Kadaffy (excuse spelling, even he spells is own name three different ways). Yes, we are a democratic society, but the rights provided by the US Constitution do not apply to non-Americans, nor should they.

I said bushes, his grandfather prescott bush had his company's assests seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1312540,00.html

It is just as inappropriate as the Catholics buying their way out of persecution during the same time. And in response to the bush family's dealings with the bin Laden family is:

http://houseofbush.com/
http://www.inthesetimes.com/issue/25/25/feature3.shtml

These guys have no business ethics and will do anything for an "almighty buck".

The tragedy to me is that the wonderfully talented singer who was Cat Stevens, in his soul searching for the answer to his questions, chose such a negative and primitive belief system. He truly had a creative magic, a gift, and he has trashed it.