Why Yusuf Islam (a.k.a Cat Stevens) Was Banned From the US Following 9/11: “I Am No Secret Figure”

The attack that occurred on September 11, 2001 is single-handedly the most harrowing tragedy in the history of the United States. The fallout of the day is unexplainable, and no amount of words can truly do it justice. To prevent another incident of this nature, the United States government bolstered homeland security, waged a worldwide war on terrorism, and passed legislation allowing further domestic and international surveillance shortly after the fact. This, of course, came with a price, and one figure who paid that price was Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens.

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When Islam went under the name Cat Stevens, he was one of the biggest folk singers of the 70s. In 1978, a year after his religious conversion, Yusuf Islam officially changed his name and left the persona of Cat Stevens in the rear-view mirror. With all that in mind, after 9/11 transpired, the United States banned Yusuf Islam and put him on a no-fly list in 2004.

The Ambiguous Reason Behind Yusuf Islam’s U.S. Ban

While on his way to Nashville in 2004, Islam’s plane was diverted to Maine, and he was then sent back to London after U.S. officials discovered he was on the flight.

“Everybody knows who I am,” Islam said at the time, per CBS. “I am no secret figure. Everybody knows my campaigning for charity, for peace. There’s got to be a whole lot of explanation.”

Understandably angry, both the singer/songwriter and the world desired answers. Well, both parties received an answer. However, the answer did not necessarily entail specific and robust details. Surrounding Islam’s ban and placement on the no-fly list, U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s spokesman Brian Doyle stated that “Yusuf Islam has been placed on the watch lists because of activities that could potentially be related to terrorism. It’s a serious matter.”

Concerning his treatment, Islam humorously stated that “the one positive thing I can say is that a lot of security officers are pleased because they got my autograph.”

“People make mistakes,” Islam continued. “I just hope they made a big mistake. We’ll see.”

Now, no formal explanation on the matter was ever revealed. However, Yusuf Islam was able to return to the United States in 2006 with no issue.

This story is, in fact, a wild one, and goes to show just how much of an impact a musical figure can have on the world, purposeful or not. Despite this accusation and ban, Yusuf Islam has remained a figure of peace in the world.

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