I do not know whether Cat Stevens poses any real threat to U.S. citizens, but his placement on the government watch list is not as ridiculous as suggested by the editorial cartoon published Oct. 1, which compared his potential threat to that of Britney Spears.

Cat Stevens underwent a radical transformation when he converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam. When the religious edict was given calling for the death of Salman Rushdie after writing “The Satanic Verses,” he was quoted as supporting this. He was also denied admission to Palestine by Israel in 2000 because he was said to have given money to a Hamas organization. I don’t have firsthand knowledge whether those facts are true, but I have personally listened to his song “Afghanistan.” Its lyrics explain how Afghanistan is the “Land of Islam” and will be defended with every last drop of blood. It also describes how victory is coming and “the disbelieving army is heading for hell.” It is not a subtle piece.

To be fair, it was written about the struggle with the Soviets in the 1980s but considering his feelings then, I suspect Yusuf Islam’s views on the U.S. occupation of the “Land of Islam” are not far removed. Whether he has actually taken actions which justify his deportation or not, it is misleading to compare his potential danger to the U.S. or capacity for support of those fighting against our government as similar to that of Britney Spears.

Curtis Rice, Rumford

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