Free Republic

The artist and singer/songwriter formerly known as Cat Stevens, and then as Yusuf Islam, and then as Yusuf/Cat Stevens (you can call him anything, just don’t call him late for iftar dinner), early on Thursday morning weighed in on the conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran. He did not, however, have a negative word to say about the bloodthirsty Iranian regime; instead, he said that the problem was all anti-Muslim propaganda: Perhaps I was particularly blessed to have discovered Islam in 1977, before the Iranian Revolution, when Muslims were less visible and the monstrous propaganda machine had not been...

New Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Cat Stevens is taking the "Peace Train" back on the road. He announced yesterday that he'll do a six-city concert tour in North America this December, his first series of shows in the US since 1976. His conversion to Islam followed, putting his music career on hold for a quarter-century. Stevens, who also is releasing a blues album on Oct. 27 produced by Rick Rubin and titled Tell 'Em I'm Gone, is using that stage name along with Yusuf, the name he took when he converted. The performer of 1970s-era hits "Wild...