Re: Cat Stevens [npc]

["Michael C. Berch" <mcb>]

Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam has *never* either (1) unequivocally  
repudiated his remarks about the fatwa, or (2) apologized directly to  
Salman Rushdie.  Instead, over the last decade and a half, he has  
given out some mealy-mouthed evasions and obfuscations.

Some quotes:

"[If Rushdie turned up at my doorstep looking for help,] I might ring  
somebody who might do more damage to him than he would like. I'd try  
to phone the Ayatollah Khomeini and tell him exactly where this man is."

"In Islam there is a line between let's say freedom and the line  
which is then transgressed into immorality and irresponsibility and I  
think as far as this writer is concerned, unfortunately, he has been  
irresponsible with his freedom of speech. Salman Rushdie or indeed  
any writer who abuses the prophet, or indeed any prophet, under  
Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death. It's got to be  
seen as a deterrent, so that other people should not commit the same  
mistake again."

I can't see supporting, hanging out with, etc., an artist who joined  
a call for the death of a fellow artist for exercising free speech,  
especially based on a bunch of wacko religious fundamentalist  
bullshit. Fuck him.

--MCB