Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam

Originally posted by Ragnorak
Say what?

Can u clarify that please?

D

I meant to say "Racially motivated harrassment". The police force are unfortunitely renound for their dislike of minorities.

Originally posted by Edwardipov
Cat Stevens, or Yusuf Islam to use his adopted name, has been arrested after landing in the United States. He was interrogated, denied entry and deported.

Does anybody have an opinion on this? What do US citizens feel about their gov ...[text shortened]... denied access as being "on national security grounds".
</edit>

Originally posted by turtlex
From what I've read he was NOT arrested, he was denied entry to the US and deported back to the UK.

Originally posted by Edwardipov
To clarify: he was 'detained' - hopefully the semantic distinction has not altered the discussion too much.

source: BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3682434.stm

Originally posted by turtlex
From what I've read he was NOT arrested, he was denied entry to the US and deported back to the UK.

Per Yahoo News "A law enforcement official said the United States had information that Islam, who last visited the United States in May, had donated money to the militant Islamic group Hamas."

He was also denied entry to Isreal in 2000 for the same r ...[text shortened]... incident.

I have no feelings about this either way. Just updating the facts as I read them.

The U.S. also recently refused a visa to professor Tariq Ramadan, who was to be a professor of religion at Notre Dame university. Why? Because of his expressed political views about U.S. policy. He's a respected scholar, not a terrorist. He was denied entry under Patriot Act provisions concerning people who &quot;endorse or espouse terrorist activity.&quot;

This is nothing new. The U.S. government has gone mad.

Originally posted by pcaspian
Originally posted by darvlay
[b]
What surprises me is how many people think that this kind of blatant and accepted racism is the solution to national security. And we're (speaking as a NORTH American) are supposed to be the most advanced nation? It's so ironic it makes me want to puke on myself.

It really doesn't matter does it ? Cat St ...[text shortened]... p 11th. Pretty touching. I would indeed be quite interested in their motive for deporting him.
[/b]

Originally posted by turtlex

I apologize, but from what I read - the "detaining" was because they were waiting on a plane to return him to the UK.

If another plane had been available, he'd have been plopped right on it and zoomed back to the UK.

There is a very big difference, semantics or not.

Sorry to have interupted your conversation. Won't happen again.

Originally posted by Edwardipov
Cat Stevens, or Yusuf Islam to use his adopted name, has been arrested after landing in the United States. He was interrogated, denied entry and deported.

Does anybody have an opinion on this? What do US citizens feel about their government's behaviour? Is it all justified when 'national security' is at stake, or is it riding rough-shod over the Co ...[text shortened]... ation gave as a reason for his denied access as being "on national security grounds".
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Originally posted by darvlay
C'mon pal, that analogy you used just furthers my point that racial profiling is accepted in America post-September 11.



I've no doubdt it is. I can't however disagree with it fully.


Out of curiousity, do you think if Cat Stevens started singing Peace Plane during the flight that he would have been deported. Personally, I would've tried to throw him out the emergency exit..

If he started singing Peace Plane, I would probably have whispered to him the correct words and asked him to start all over. Either way, could you just imagine the sell out crowds you would get at a Cat Stevens concert ? I suppose if he really wanted to feverently support terrorism, he could have put himself to better use by raising funds, (or buying pirated CD's in Malaisia).

Alas, I think Cat is one of the few musicians I truely respect. That he walked away from such success is phenomenal.

Originally posted by pcaspian
Originally posted by darvlay
[b]C'mon pal, that analogy you used just furthers my point that racial profiling is accepted in America post-September 11.



I've no doubdt it is. I can't however disagree with it fully.

...[text shortened]... espect. That he walked away from such success is phenomenal.
[/b][/b]

As near as I can tell, Yusuf Islam was &quot;detained and interviewed&quot; and not allowed entry to the US for two reasons. (1) He is a muslim. (2) He has criticised the policies of the current US administration (government).

Tariq Ramadan, who was, IIRC, to be professor of Peace Studies at Notre Dame. appears to have been denied entry to the US for essentially the same reasons. The Bush administration cannot stop US citizens from expressing disagreement with their policies, but they can use &quot;national security&quot; just as well as Nixon did.

Best Regards,
Paul

Originally posted by darvlay
Let me get this straight... you're saying that racial profiling is a good thing?

Call it a neccesary evil if you must.

Originally posted by paultopia
The U.S. also recently refused a visa to professor Tariq Ramadan, who was to be a professor of religion at Notre Dame university. Why? Because of his expressed political views about U.S. policy. He's a respected scholar, not a terrorist. He was denied entry under Patriot Act provisions concerning people who "endorse or espouse terrorist activity."

This is nothing new. The U.S. government has gone mad.

Originally posted by chancremechanic
Good, keep all of the idiotic radical Islamist lovers OUT of the USA, from Cat (meow) Stevens to Tariq Ramadan. Anybody who gives funds to Hamas, Al-Qaeda, Jamal-Islamia or any other whacked-out pro-jihadist organization should not ...[text shortened]... overrules the sensitivity of the Yusef Islams of the world!! 😲 😲