Yusuf Islam

September 29, 2001 11:28 AM

Yusuf Islam (the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens) is donating a hefty chunk of the royalties from his forthcoming US 4-CD Box Set (spanning 1965-1997 and due out 30 Oct 01) to the September 11th Fund, with the remainder going to homeless charities in underdeveloped countries. He's issued two statements on the WTC tragedy; a brief initial comment from September 12th and a more considered message on September 18th. (more inside)
posted by RavinDave (8 comments total)

I posted this because mathowie's recent MeFi offering on Banned Books. It reminded me that I never got around to reading The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie. Even though the original fatwah has been lifted (or, at least modified to a reasonable degree), I kept thinking back to news reports of how Cat Stevens essentially supported the death sentence -- a staggering accusation, since I (like many of that era) was a rabid fan of his music. I thought I had to be missing something, so I went hunting. I found a formal statement he issued back in 1989, along with a subsequent fatwah issued in 1991, when Rushdie attempted to re-embrace Islam. Frankly, the clarification was anemic and I still don't know what to think of him. I wish I could just enjoy the music.
posted by RavinDave at 11:30 AM on September 29, 2001

Better be careful posting anything on the front page about September 11. Some of the more ignorant members of metafilter want to pretend that it didn't happen.
posted by Katy Action at 11:33 AM on September 29, 2001

"Better be careful posting anything on the front page about September 11. Some of the more ignorant members of metafilter want to pretend that it didn't happen."

Someone's fiesty today. I thought from your previous post, AKA your last post yesterday, that you weren't going to "let one bad apple spoil your experience here"? Did I read that wrong?

And to the original reason for posting: I think that a lot of celebs are going to be doing the same as Cat Stevens.
posted by Kafei at 11:40 AM on September 29, 2001

Better be careful posting anything on the front page about September 11. Some of the more ignorant members of metafilter want to pretend that it didn't happen.

No, but I would be happy to pretend you didn't happen, if this peevish, willful distortion of the facts is your norm. Unless you want to derail this discussion, here's the MetaTalk thread.

Dave: interesting link, thanks. It's good to see Muslims paying attention to the nuances here. It's not just Westerners that have tended to speak without thinking carefully in the past. Everyone should be picking their words wisely now.
posted by rodii at 12:03 PM on September 29, 2001

Yusuf Islam (the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens) is donating a hefty chunk of the royalties from his forthcoming US 4-CD Box Set (spanning 1965-1997 and due out 30 Oct 01)

Well, that's $78.32 going to the right place.
posted by Sinner at 5:00 PM on September 29, 2001

Hey, I was just trying to laugh at my pitiful attempt at my first link. I wasn't being snotty. Just thought I'd clarify that before the hate-email starts coming in.
posted by Katy Action at 5:23 PM on September 29, 2001

I still chuckle at the memory of Dennis Miller on SNL riffing on the Cat Stevens/Rushdie flap: "No more of that 'Peace Train' bullcrap, eh, Yusuf?"...
posted by gimonca at 8:22 PM on September 29, 2001

Hmmm...The Artist Formerly Known As StavrostheWonderChicken.

Nice ring to it.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 10:36 PM on September 29, 2001