Cat Stephens Taken Off London/NY Flight; Showed on Security List

AP reports:

WASHINGTON (AP) – A plane bound for Washington from London was diverted to Maine on Tuesday after passenger Yusuf Islam – formerly known as pop singer Cat Stevens – showed up on a U.S. watch list, federal officials said.

Not sure why he’s on the list, other than there may be some kind of mental issue… He’s never struck me as the most stable individual, even during his pop years. I met him once about the time he was touring for one of his later albums and there was something decidedly weird about him even then. There was a duality to the man that I didn’t understand until years later when I read of his dual heritage. 
Some beautiful tunes, though. Creative, inventive, touching, on many levels. All that is lost. Sad, really. A lot of potential, there, that was lost.

I suppose the security types look at him and see another Johnny Walker… a rather confused westerner who went into Islam and has, shall we say, divided loyalties. I suppose there may be valid reason for caution here, on at least a psych profile basis, assuming they have nothing stronger than this.  We may hear more in the morning.

I also wonder why now after all this time he decided to try and come to the US. After being so outspoken about the west, and the US in particular, it does give one pause.

I must however, give him credit, if this statement from the release is true:

“Islam recently condemned the school seizure by militants in Beslan, Russia, earlier this month that left more than 300 dead, nearly half of them children.

In a statement on his Web site, he wrote, “Crimes against innocent bystanders taken hostage in any circumstance have no foundation whatsoever in the life of Islam and the model example of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.”

He dove headlong into his father’s Islamic heritidge it seemed to me, in an effort to seek a peace he never found in his worldly successes.  I’ve often wondered in the last few years, how he’s been managing to deal with all the violence being committed in the name of the faith in which he sought that peace.