# Cat Stevens a terrorist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 22, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501 "2004-09-22T15:44:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/1 "2004-09-22T15:44:51Z")
Goofy maybe, but a terrorist? > **[Singer Cat Stevens Kicked Off Flight When His Name Found On Watch List](https://www.mtv.com/news/1491275/singer-cat-stevens-kicked-off-flight-when-his-name-found-on-watch-list/)** > > Officials say he's believed to have ties to groups that aid terror. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/2 "2004-09-22T15:49:38Z")
Four threads on this already: two here in MPSIMS, one in the Pit, one in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/3 "2004-09-22T15:50:42Z")
It’s a pretty crappy system of checking for undesirables that first grants him access to the plane, only to later deny him the right to land after becoming airborne and, thus, additionally delaying the arrival of another 280 passengers. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/4 "2004-09-24T20:22:31Z")
The NPR guy explained it to me. It’s revenge for “Morning Has Broken”. Payback’s a bitch. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/5 "2004-09-24T23:11:34Z")
Oh, I’m being followed by an Air Marshal, Air Marshal, Air Marshal. My pants I’m dropping for an Air Marshal, Air Marshal, Air Marshal. If from the US, I get tossed out I won’t moan and I won’t shout Yes, if I ever get tossed out Weh-eh-eh-eh, eh-eh-ell I won’t go to Israel Adapted from a Dennis Miller one liner ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/6 "2004-09-26T19:11:32Z")
In the 70’s, I was often afraid to turn on my radio for fear of hearing his quavering, nasal voice and priggish lyrics. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/7 "2004-09-26T20:11:23Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > In the 70’s, I was often afraid to turn on my radio for fear of hearing his quavering, nasal voice and priggish lyrics. Does that count? I agree. I heard him just once and am terrified that I might have to go through that again. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/8 "2004-09-26T20:24:51Z")
For most people, quickly listening to “Paint it, Black” or “Sympathy for the Devil” negates the effects. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/9 "2004-09-26T22:00:24Z")
So we should listen to the Stones after watching **Harold and Maude**? The Musical Antidote: a fine idea, **'plant**! ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/10 "2004-09-27T04:14:51Z")
He’s not a terrorist. He was widely reported to have endorsed the _fatwa_ against Salman Rushdie. Actually, he was just trying to explain it to a journalist. Like that’ll ever happen again. It takes balls to stand publicly with a religion that’s monstrously unpopular in the west. Wonder if you’d do the same? ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/11 "2004-09-27T04:49:26Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > He’s not a terrorist. > > He was widely reported to have endorsed the _fatwa_ against Salman Rushdie. Actually, he was just trying to explain it to a journalist. Like that’ll ever happen again. > > It takes balls to stand publicly with a religion that’s monstrously unpopular in the west. Wonder if you’d do the same? Yea, Yusef is a real sweetheart. Rune destroys that myth [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5286485&postcount=100) Perhaps you should read up on what the man actually has said instead of just blindly buying into the “I was misquoted” bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/12 "2004-09-27T05:19:12Z")
According to the last line of the AFP report quoted [here](http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/26/1096137104214.html) the whole thing was a mistake, he was not on the list at all, it was just a similar name. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/13 "2004-09-27T05:23:14Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > Yea, Yusef is a real sweetheart. Rune destroys that myth [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5286485&postcount=100) Perhaps you should read up on what the man actually has said instead of just blindly buying into the “I was misquoted” bullshit. [Here](http://catstevens.com/articles/00013/index.html) is the most incendiary direct quote Rune could muster. It stops pretty short of advocating murder, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/14 "2004-09-27T06:14:44Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > [Here](http://catstevens.com/articles/00013/index.html) is the most incendiary direct quote Rune could muster. It stops pretty short of advocating murder, IMO. What do you call this, then: > [@Yusuf Islam](#): > > Under Islamic Law, the ruling regarding blasphemy is quite clear; the person found guilty of it must be put to death. Although, fair’s fair: he does make it clear later on that he only advocates _state-sanctioned_ murder for people expressing opinions he doesn’t like. Which, y’know, makes it all okay. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/15 "2004-09-27T08:11:51Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > What do you call this, then: > > Although, fair’s fair: he does make it clear later on that he only advocates _state-sanctioned_ murder for people expressing opinions he doesn’t like. Which, y’know, makes it all okay. You’re cherrypicking. He makes it clear elsewhere in the article that Muslims living in Britain are bound by British law. He also states that he wants Muslims to have the same considerations that all other religious groups in the UK receive, citing a play that libeled Jews that the British government shut down. The column as a whole is well within the bounds of civil discourse, and not an incitement to terror. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/16 "2004-09-27T08:28:40Z")
Wasn’t Ted Kennedy recently stopped in an airport for being on the same watch list? Whatever your feelings about Ted Kennedy, isn’t that a bit much? How the hell many Ted Kennedys are there, anyway? How many Yousef Islams? There ought to be something more than a list. Unless your name is Ko-Ko. None of his will be missed. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/17 "2004-09-27T12:12:46Z")
Ossam’s still out there, but we got Cat Stevens. I’m sure sleeping better at night. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/18 "2004-09-27T15:08:15Z")
> [@DesertGeezer](#): > > Wasn’t Ted Kennedy recently stopped in an airport for being on the same watch list? I wonder if the Senator has made donations to any Irish charities that could be construed to support the IRA. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/19 "2004-09-27T20:31:44Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > You’re cherrypicking. He makes it clear elsewhere in the article that Muslims living in Britain are bound by British law. He also states that he wants Muslims to have the same considerations that all other religious groups in the UK receive, citing a play that libeled Jews that the British government shut down. The column as a whole is well within the bounds of civil discourse, and not an incitement to terror. Like hell I am. He believes that Salman Rushdie should be put to death for writing a book. He _also_ believes that it’s not up to individual Muslims living in Britain to carry out that sentence, only the duly empowered courts of theocracies like Iran. So he’s only in favor of state-sanctioned murder for people he disagrees with, not vigilante murder. Which still makes him an asshole and a hypocrite. ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501/20 "2004-09-27T22:53:04Z")
Stevens is also suspected of giving money to Mouhammad Abdel-Rahman, a son of the notorious blind sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. (Source: [GQ article quoted in New York Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/81149p-74395c.html) The GQ article is not available online, unfortunately. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-stevens-a-terrorist/265501.md?page=2)