Homeland insecurity: Mystery allegations send Yusuf Islam back to Britain

Insert Cat Stevens pun here

Yesterday was a bad day for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). No, not because of the curious deportation of Yusuf “Cat Stevens” Islam, who apparently made it onto the US “no-fly” list, along with such terror risks as Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Representative John Lewis (D-GA). It was bad because that same agency announced that undercover investigators were able to sneak explosives and weapons past security screeners at 15 airports nationwide. Representative John Mica (R-FL), who reviewed the report, said the results on weapons were “bad enough,” but the results on explosives were “absolutely horrendous.” Meanwhile, as our skies remain at risk three years after 9/11, DHS is busy making sure 1970’s folk rock doesn’t penetrate our borders by keeping Islam (the man, not the religion – well, maybe that, too) out of the US, allegedly for donating money to Hamas. (Islam, who was on his way to Nashville to record music with his daughter, denies the allegation.) What is known, however, is that Yusuf Islam has donated money to the victims of 9/11 and the Beslan, Russia school killings, including donating half the royalties from a CD he released last May to the 9/11 Fund. In addition, he was invited to meet with White House officials only four months ago. “If Mr. Ashcroft is willing to take Yusuf Islam off that plane,” commented Mansoor Ijaz of Fox News, “then next time he’d better be willing to take me off as well.” A request from UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw for more information from the State Department got nowhere. “We have no charges against him,” responded Secretary of State Colin Powell even as he justified the deportation. “We have nothing that would be actionable in our courts.” Despite his concern, Islam is taking the whole thing in stride. “The one positive thing I can say is that a lot security officers are pleased because they got my autograph,” he said. “People make mistakes. I just hope they made a big mistake. We’ll see.”

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.