In December of 1977, beloved English folk singer Cat Stevens converted to Islam, changing his name to Yusuf Islam and walking away from pop music at the height of his fame. His albums Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat both went triple platinum, but Stevens believed that the music industry was distracting him from spiritual enlightenment, feelings fueled by a near-drowning experience the previous year. He remained out of the spotlight for many years, donating most of his music royalties to various charities and philanthropic enterprises.
After the September 11th attacks, Yusuf released a statement condemning the actions of the terrorist killers, offering prayers for the victims and families. The singer donated the proceeds from his recent Cat Stevens boxed set to those affected and even came out of pop music retirement to record a solo performance of his 1971 hit “Peace Train” for the Concert for New York telecast that October. Just three years later, while flying to the United States to collaborate with country star Dolly Parton (who had recently covered “Peace Train”), Yusuf’s name was flagged on a Homeland Security “no fly list”. The United Airlines flight was redirected from Washington to Bangor, Maine and Yusuf was detained and deported the following day.
No official apology or explanation was ever given, and it’s anyone’s guess whether the incident was a result of religious discrimination or a simple spelling mistake. Regardless, with the current surge in Islamophobia and “Ground Zero Mosque” fervor, Yusuf Islam is an important figure to think about. Even before his religious conversion, Cat Stevens wrote about tolerance and love, about caring and accepting one another. The singer’s message was always one of hope, with little interest in cynicism or anger. At the very peak of his commercial viability, he walked away from the “American Dream” of fame and wealth, instead investing in his soul and his family. It’s this striving for self enlightenment, for a connection to a higher power and a more meaningful existence that constitutes the core beliefs of most major religions— not hatred or violence. While it’s easy to assign anger and blame on an entire group of people for the actions of a select few, Yusuf Islam and his music invites us to stop hurting others and ourselves, to instead think about the good things to come and work together. Baby, it’s a wild world and it’s hard to get by when you’re too busy hating people who are different than you.
So if you want to sing out, sing out. And if you want to build an Islamic Center, then build it. There’s a million more important things to be worried about.
