More on Cat Stevens

From the Guardian: Straw criticises US for putting Yusuf Islam on no-fly list
From the Washington Post: Cat Stevens Leaves US After Entry Denied.
From the New York Times: British Singer Calls His Deportation a Mistake

According to these articles, the Department of Homeland Security says they put Stevens on their no-fly list in July (after his May visit, during which he met with White House officials). Their spokeperson said: "Yusuf Islam has been placed on government watch lists because of concerns of ties he may have to potential terrorist-related activities. More recently, the intelligence community has received information that further heightens this concern." Britain has responded with irritation - they have no info linking Stevens to terrorists - and has formally complained to the US.

My own guess is that perhaps Stevens donated to a charity which turned out to have some connection to a terrorist group or groups. It's also possible he's not wanted in the US because he's a prominent Muslim and vocal opponent of the war in Iraq. It's also possible the DHS erred on the side of caution - or possibly that they just erred. As they don't need to produce the facts, I think it's unlikely we'll ever know.

(no subject)

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