During that public lecture he (Stevens aka Islam) was asked, "You don't think man deserves to die?" and replied, "Who? Salmon Rushdie? Yes, yes..." (Yusuf Islam on UK TV 1989 Discussing Salmon Rusdie)
Thank you for that link.
The TV show is called “Hypotheticals”. Stevens appears as one of about a dozen panelists on the episode. The format involves a moderator asking panelists hypothetical questions regarding controversial topics.
When asked what he’d do if he saw Rushdie in a restaurant, Stevens says he might just go on eating his meal. He makes no mention of any other response.
When further asked if he has a duty to execute Rushdie, Stevens says “no not necessarily, unless we [Rushdie and Stevens] were in an Islamic State and I was ordered, say by a judge or the authorities, to carry out such an act, [then] yes, perhaps”
If you told me you thought someone deserves to die but that you wouldn’t kill him unless, say, you were ordered to do so by a judge, and even then you couldn’t say for sure whether you’d do it, and in the meantime you’ll ignore him if you cross paths, I wouldn’t think that makes you a terrorist.
Would you?