My holiday music plug: Yusuf Islam's "An Other Cup".

[bleever]

After years immersed in Islam, he has found a way back to instrumental music, and I think that if he hoped it would be an instrument of God's glory, he has succeeded.

A Muslim reaches out with his greatest gift, and as far as I'm concerned, he connected.


Allah Akbar.

God is Great.

Life is Good.

Happiness is our natural state.

May all beings thrive.


Thank you, the artist once known as Cat Stevens.

[msedano]

1. weird cultist

Odd anyone with a "liberal" mindset would celebrate what this guy "Cat Stevens" endorses.

Here come a few grafs from an unpublished biography of Shannon Sullivan, the woman who led the recall against perverted mayor James West in Spokane:

"My one hope is my grandmother. Ray has told us we're heading for Spokane, so I pin all my hopes on Spokane. Once we get to Spokane, I know I can find a way to get in touch with my grandmother. I know she lives on 25th and Bernard. I'll run away and get help, Angela would be safe for the hour I figure I'd be gone. Spokane becomes my word for hope.

And just as easily, Shiloh Iowa becomes my word for despair. Instead of Spokane, Ray takes us to a religious commune in Shiloh Iowa. Talk about weird. An entertainer named Cat Stevens has started it. Somehow, they got their hooks into Ray. My dad really believes that God has told him to kidnap us, and that by bringing us to Shiloh he is saving us from evil.

Shiloh is exactly the opposite of salvation. An evil place where mad cultists enforce their literal interpretation of Biblical verse. Shiloh is a fenced compound, entry by guard through locked chain link gates. Everyone lives in big dormitories. Church services all day and everyone has to attend their service. Because Angela and I are new, we're under constant surveillance by a series of guards. Our guards range from indifferent to outright mean. The only connection to the real world is a pay phone near the mess hall. At first, my experience there is just mental torture, from the cultists and from Ray. I do what I have to, to survive. Angela is a different story.

Angela refuses to give in to her new "home". Her practiced belligerence gets more dramatic, and the more defiant and bitter she gets, the worse Ray treats her. Angela makes it worse because she refuses to call Ray "dad". John was dad. Angela hates Ray and rarely lets an opportunity pass to express her hatred. So her life becomes a vicious circle. She is verbally abused and physically punished with extra chores and church duty. The more she refuses to cooperate, the more severely she gets punished.

Me, I am less combative. Because Ray and I had a relationship going back to when he and Mom were married, he is attentive to me and shows affection, something I had not gotten a lot of with Mom and John. What a weird turn of events. I had been the forgotten child now I am the favorite. My main concern is always Angela. She is scared and just wants her Mom. She cries herself to sleep every night. This makes Ray loudly angry. I try to reason with him, but I'm just a kid.

Salvation comes after the devil laid hands on Angela. One day while Ray is at worship, today's guard grabs Angela by the arm and drags her into the bathroom. I hear Angela pleading and the woman talking smoothly. The more she talks the louder Angela screams. This devil woman was sexually abusing my little sister. I run to the payphone and call 911. I guess I was lucky Ray caught me instead of one of the guards. I don't know why the authorities never show up, but my call does the trick. The next morning we left Shiloh."




Yes indeed, let us all now praise Cat Stevens.

[bleever]

2. I endorse peace, love, and understanding.

He sings about it on this record.

I don't know about the other stuff, or who was saying it.

[dweller]

3. i think the other stuff is spam ...

but i have 'an other cup' on the top of my music wish list.

Yusef has always sung of Peace.
dp

[appal_jack]

8. peace = fatwah?

Back in the late 1980's, when Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses was causing a stir, the Ayotollah Khomeni (sp?) issued a Fatwah against Rushdie. Fortunately, no one successfully carried out the death threat, but this dynamic author and his family surely endured horrible stresses while the Fatwah stood (I think it was retracted like 15 years later).

Shortly after the Fatwah was issued, who should emerge from the woodwork but "Yusef" to endorse the call for ritualized religious assassination. Oh yeah, and his publicist was sure to mention that Mr. Islam is the former Cat Stevens, though he made no attempt to reconcile the text of the Fatwah with the lyrics of "Peace Train."

As far as I know, Yusef has never retracted or apologized for his hateful actions. Until he does, Yusef-motha%$&**!%$%ing-Islam can kiss my stinkin' agnostic ass.

-app

[dweller]

9. not sure where you get your news

but as i recall, Cat Stevens response to a reporter concerning the fatwah was to state that according to strict interpretation of the scriptures of Islam certain crimes were punishable by death.

he neither endorsed ritualized assasinations, nor agreed with the practice. He has although pointed out numerous times that he was taken out of context, and has apologized for the confusion created by and perpetuated by the media.

he also left the media frenzy and music business behind for the last 20 years and pursued more peaceful ventures from which he has done much good. His return to recording is a positive note.
I applaud it.

you should expand your limited view by exploring alternative news sources, maybe listening to his music for a clue to his mindset, and decide for yourself what message he offers. The again, you could keep your closed head up your stinking agnostic ass and curse about the lack of peace and harmony in the darkness surrounding you.

whatever, peace, and welcome to DU. :hi:

dp

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. I think you have the wrong Stevens

Cat Stevens is a Muslim. The Church of the Living Word in Shiloh Iowa was started by a John Robert Stevens. I see no indication that the two are related.

[msedano]

7. it's a different stevens?

thanx, that's good to hear. i always liked the sound of "matthew and son". the crap shannon sullivan went thru as a thirteen year old is a scandal. maybe her age at the time is why she thought them one and the same.

[leftofthedial]

4. Peace be unto you

unless of course you are Salmon Rushdie

[radfringe]

5. Bought the album for my partner as a christmas gift

love it... glad to see he's back to his music