Singer Cat Stevens Says Awarded Libel Damages

Reuters ^ | 2/15/05 | Reuters

[wagglebee]

LONDON (Reuters) - Yusuf Islam, the pop singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, said on Tuesday he had won substantial damages from two British newspapers which alleged he supported terrorism.

"I am delighted by the settlement which helps vindicate my character and good name," he said after the settlement with The Sun and the Sunday Times.

The singer, who changed his name after converting to Islam in the 1970s, was traveling on a flight from London to Washington when it was diverted to Bangor, Maine last September. He was then deported from the United States.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department said he was deported after his name turned up on U.S. "no fly" lists because of activities they said could be potentially linked to terrorism.

The two newspapers suggested the U.S. authorities had been right to refuse Islam entry to the country.

After winning the libel damages, Islam said: "It seems to me the easiest thing in the world these days to make scurrilous accusations against Muslims, and in my case it directly impacts on my relief work and damages my reputation as an artist."

"The harm done is often difficult to repair," he added in a statement.

The 57-year-old singer intends to contribute the undisclosed damages he receives to projects for orphans hit by the tsunami in South East Asia.

He visited Indonesia in January and is set to release a charity single -- "Indian Ocean" -- later this month.

"At least the money gained through taking legal recourse to clear my name is going to good causes -- but I could do without the headache quite frankly," he said.

Islam said he had not been given a satisfactory explanation by U.S. authorities of the reasons for his deportation.

"Six months after the fiasco of my deportation from the USA, my formal requests for clarification from the authorities there are seemingly being ignored," the singer said.

[Cultural Jihad]

Enjoy your childish games, BroadSword.

[Hank Rearden]

Never heard of a religion called 'Muslim' before. Expert on it, are you?

"A rose is a rose is a rose . . . " i.e. a Death Cult by any other name, even a typo, is still a Death Cult.

[broadsword]

That's exactly right, Hank.

EVIL IS AS ISLAM DOES.

[sheik yerbouty]

A "First Amendment Rifgt"? In Saudi Arabia? Bwahaaaaaaa!

[broadsword]

LOL! The fumes in that burkah must be getting pretty bad.

[sheik yerbouty]

America should forbid the building of any more masjids here until the Saudis permit the building of churches, synagogues and any one elses religious institutions. The Saudi police have arrested people for praying in their apartments. I say "Quid pro Quo". Can you dig it?

[Cultural Jihad]

Rights are universal. People in Saudi Arabia have rights, even if no prince or mullah honors them.

[sheik yerbouty]

Don't the Saudis have a TV show called "Burqa's Law"?

[broadsword]

America should forbid the building of any more masjids here ...

Actually, we should tear the rat nests down and fumigate the American ground they fouled.

[sheik yerbouty]

Tell that to non Muslims rotting in Saudi jails.

[Cultural Jihad]

America should forbid the building of any more masjids here until the Saudis permit the building of churches . . .

So we should repeal the 1st Amendment here until the king in Saudi Arabia allows it there, eh? Let me think about it for a while. Okay, and no thanks.

[sheik yerbouty]

Once again, have any Muslim clerics issued fatwas against bin Laden?

[broadsword]

Rights are universal. People in Saudi Arabia have rights, even if no prince or mullah honors them.

Bwaaaaaahahahaha! Not for women in Islam. Women are dirt, in the Koran, and treated like less than that in the is-slime-ic world.

[Centurion2000]

How many Muslims are there in the world? A billion or so? The world would be a much different place if all of these people followed a religion of murder.

They do; get over it and start studying.

[Centurion2000]

As does the Old Testament in some place, ad nauseum.

Please point out the hordes of suicide bombings that have been done by Christians. I must have missed those somewhere along the way.

[broadsword]

Once again, have any Muslim clerics issued fatwas against bin Laden?

Of course not. He's doing the work of the bloodthirsty moon god and its meteorite in Mecca.

[sheik yerbouty]

A better answer would have been "no compulsion in matters of religion", but that's a verse the Saudis ignore. Is Islam tolerant? Hindi India has many millions of Muslims, but Pakistan tolerates no Hindus.

[Cultural Jihad]

Matthew 7
[21] Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
[22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

[broadsword]

Check this out!?!?!

What the heck? ROTFLMAO! I thought the meteorite-worshippers weren't supposed to get drunk.