Posted on 02/15/2005 7:29:45 PM PST by 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.
Alcohol is forbidden but whine is encouraged..
LOL!
Hint : You cannot do it because they do not exist.
When Arabs leave the 'holy land' they LOVE the strip bars and getting sloshed.
Watch muslims students here studying ... quite an enlightening display of hypocrisy.
That's because there is only ONE religion on earth that makes bloodthirsty terror a sacrament.
And we know exactly which "religion" that is.
The one with the Borg Cube..
In his website, he claims that his FAQ spells out how he never advocated the killing of Salman Rushdie; then the FAQ itself says he did exactly that.
They think resistance is futile.
The USMC knows otherwise.
Sure doesn't look like a call to strap on C-4 explosives and hop on a bus with women and children aboard. (BTW, Matthew is in the New Testament.)
Also, going back to your earlier comment:
<< The site is sacred to and permitted only to Muslims, who enjoy a 1st Amendment right of free association >>
It's that pesky little "permitted only to" that strikes fear in the heart of everyone who cherishes freedom. There is no parallel to this in the western world. Thanks for displaying the typical il-logical support of Islam. Not saying the religion is bad, but every response is a view with the blinders on, indefensible in a global society.
http://home.neo.rr.com/jsryan/writings/catstevens.html
He appeared on a TV program and said, in prepared remarks that he had a chance to review before they aired, that if Rushdie ever showed up on his doorstep, he'd phone the Ayatollah to come and get him. When the backlash hit, he claimed he'd been blindsided by the 'media'. And maybe he sincerely remembers it that way -- but it just ain't so.
So, okay, maybe he's never knowingly supported terrorism, but he's sure not the one to ask whether his organization has ever funded it.
Just a quibble, but I believe the Mormons restrict access to their tabernacle, which is the same thing on a smaller scale.
Would that it were so. TROP considers every place they trod to be Dar al Islam, and those who won't sign on, as Dar al Harb. It reminds me of a line in the movie "Confessions of a Nazi Spy". The fifth columnist leader said "Anywhere a German has placed his foot is the Fatherland". Very similar. Hmmm.
Start? Catching up with your point of view means shedding, not gaining knowledge.
Yeah, hm....
Why is that?
< /s >
Dan
I thought it was "Burqa's law and order"
won substantial damages . . . "I am delighted by the settlement . . ." After winning the libel damages . . . [all emphases added]
Can this journalist make up his mind? If the case was settled, Mister Islam didn't 'win' any 'damages'. The case never went to court. This journalist makes it sound as though having the newspapers offer to settle is equivalent to a victory in litigation.
That was the spin off..
When did Saudi Arabia implement the First Amendment?
I would guess that you have not read the Koran much have you ? The terrorists are following the book EXACTLY as written.
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