Yusuf Islam Reflects On His Return
Artist Once Known As Cat Stevens Talks About New Album
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Play CBS Video Video Yusuf Islam's New Album Only On The Web: Yusuf Islam talks to Mark Phillips about his new album, "An Other Cup," picking up the guitar after decades of not playing and his role as a Muslim in the Western world.
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Video Cat Stevens Terror Threat? The pop star formerly known as Cat Stevens is back in London after being denied entry to the U.S. Officials say Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, may have terror ties. Elizabeth Palmer reports.
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Video Donovan On 40 Years In Music Singer and songwriter Donovan talks to The Showbuzz about his 40 years of making music, and his work as a spokesman for the David Lynch Foundation's transcendental meditation programs for kids.
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In the 1970s, when he was known as Cat Stevens, Yusuf Islam was famous for his hit songs "Tea For The Tillerman" and "Peace Train." (Getty Images/Matt Cardy)
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Timeline Cat Stevens Follow key events in the life of the '70s folk-rock singer and activist once known as Cat Stevens.
"I decided to go for a swim. Of course nobody told me that that wasn't a good time to go swimming," Islam said. "So there I was, you know, out there, and I'm thinking, 'Ah, great, hmm, OK, let's go back now.' And then I ... tried to swim back to shore. And suddenly I felt 'I can't do this' — the tide was going the other way. I wasn't getting any closer.
"Suddenly I was petrified. I thought: 'This might be it.' I said: 'God, if you save me, I'll work for you.' It was without hesitation that I knew that, instinctively, there was a power that could help me. And then a little wave, you know, came behind me — a little wave, it wasn't very big. But it was that miraculous moment when suddenly the tide was going in my favor. I had my energy, I could swim back. I was on land. I was alive. Wow, what next?"
After that Islam tried to find a religion that fit. He experimented with Buddhism, Tao, numerology and even astrology. But when his brother gave him a copy of the Koran, the man who had been shopping for answers finally found them.
"I was looking for something that would resonate — the meaning of life at whatever angle you looked at it," he said.
At the time, he was still performing and was hugely popular. He realized he couldn't balance his religion and his career.
"Yeah, when it came to trying to balance you know, this knowledge, this discovery, with my lifestyle, you know, I've been singing about trying to find who I am," Islam said. "Now I've found out, do I have to keep singing? I mean, that was the question."
The answer came in November 1979 at London's Wembley stadium when he walked onstage as Cat Stevens and walked off as Yusuf Islam.
He wouldn't touch a guitar again for more than 20 years.
Reborn and re-energized, Islam went to work fulfilling the promise he had made to God that day off the coast of Malibu. With the royalties from his former life still pouring in, he founded London's first Islamic school. Then he started the small kindness charity helping orphans around the world.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 31 CommentsCan you imagine fighting tanks with mererly stones? Palestine people do it everyday. Muslim suffers everywhere. They torture & kill unborns, babies, elders, rape women in Bosnia. People seemed to forget muslim had taught Europe tremendous things that made Ranaissance available. Still, slanders-imperialism-capitalism have been around since ages.
Don't we have to fight back? For our children, parents, brothers-sisters, families? Perhaps a pity, some decided to fight-back using any possible way, un-gentle ways (in Islam, war, if must, must be done civilizedly, honestly).
Don't alway belive what they told u. Nothing is completely black or white. Find real answers. U r obliged 2 do that by God. A pop-clue: watch "Syriana" movie.
Can you imagine fighting tanks with mererly stones? Palestine people do it everyday. Muslim suffers everywhere. They torture & kill unborns, babies, elders, rape women in Bosnia. People seemed to forget muslim had taught Europe tremendous things that made Ranaissance available. Still, slanders-imperialism-capitalism have been around since ages.
Don't we have to fight back? For our children, parents, brothers-sisters, families? Perhaps a pity, some decided to fight-back using any possible way, un-gentle ways (in Islam, war, if must, must be done civilizedly, honestly).
Don't alway belive what they told u. Nothing is completely black or white. Find real answers. U r obliged 2 do that by God. A pop-clue: watch "Syriana" movie.
Please read it: Al Qur'an 002.256
SHAKIR's translation: "There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; therefore, whoever disbelieves in the Shaitan/Satan and believes in Allah he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handle, which shall not break off, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing." Al Qur'an 002.136
(PICKTHAL's translation): "Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto God we have surrendered." -
Yusuf Islam, Khumeini, and you, Sir/Mrs/Miss, are just human. And even best human CAN make mistakes.
If you want the truth about Cat's feelings on the Rushdie fatwa, see the clips from 1989. His words are unequivocal. See Rushdie%u2019s rebuttal to Cat%u2019s later equivocations. Links are in Wikipedia.
Hear this: I WANT TO BELIEVE CAT DOES NOT BELIEVE WHAT HE SAID. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO FORGIVE HIM. But, whenever he%u2019s asked (where were you, Phillips?) to be honest, Cat dances around the issue, whines about this being all anyone wants to know, etc... YES, IT%u2019S ALL WE WANT TO KNOW, AND WILL BE SO UNTIL YOU ARE HONEST!
I%u2019ve no issue with Islam. I%u2019ve contempt for an artist who agrees with those who say an artist should be killed for expressing himself.
There are days when his music gets in my head. I'm not embarrassed by it; I%u2019m sad I can%u2019t enjoy it. I bought the albums and sheet music, played and sang the songs. I%u2019ve turned my back on them, hurting myself by doing so.
I wish he could find somewhere in the Koran a verse that tells him that god and his deceased buddies don't need PEOPLE to defend them. I wish he%u2019d find a verse that says to forgive. I wish he%u2019d find a verse that says be honest. I wish he%u2019d find IN HIS OWN SELF a verse that says "apologize for what you have done, and ask Rushdie's forgiveness."
As an aside, I think Rushdie could take him. Cat probably thinks so as well, since he hasn't had the courage to take Rushdie on in a fair fight.
maybe someone should tell homeyland sekurity.
We'll do that when Islam condemns pointless suicide bombings and flying planes into buildings, ok?
Islam appears to be some kind of murder/suicide cult. Explain it to me if I am mistaken. I stopped attending church when I woke up one day and realized that if I ever forgot who to hate, all I had to do was go to my local Baptist church on Sunday morning and they could remind me. They run through the list every week: ***, liberals,Muslims, mentally ill people , famous people, homeless people, people with PHDs, atheists, catholics,Jews (but not Israel, need it to exist so Jesus will return),Budhists, Hundus, black people, indians (domestic savage variety) witches, voodo priests, (they actually believe in the witch / voodoo thing) and on and on and on ...............
Religion is about hate. It talks love for it's congregation, but everyone on the other side of the church door on Sunday morn is the enemy that deserves death. Name a church that has no one it wants to kill. Dare you.
And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh I've been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be, some day it's going to come
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again
it's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh baby baby it's a wild world,
and I'll always remember you like a child, girl.
to see what I could find out
I left my folk and friends
with the aim to clear my mind out
Well I hit the rowdy road
and many kinds I met there
and many stories told me on the way to get there
So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
So much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out
It's not time to make a change,
Just relax, take it easy.
You're still young, that's your fault,
There's so much you have to know.
Find a girl, settle down,
If you want you can marry.
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy.
Cat Stevens
Well I think it's fine, building jumbo planes.
Or taking a ride on a cosmic train.
Switch on summer from a slot machine.
Get what you want to if you want, 'cause you can get anything.
I know we've come a long way,
We're changing day to day,
But tell me, where do the children play?
Hold on to the shore,
They'll be taking the key from the door.
Oh, you're just mad because you didn't get to steal them first.
We'll do that when Islam condemns pointless suicide bombings and flying planes into buildings, ok?
Dare to listen
http://stream.njit.edu:8000/listen.pls
4pm-6pm EST 10pm-12pm EST
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