What the f*ck?!? Terror watchlist passenger...

[teke184 0]

I'd been watching Fox tonight when a story came across about a London to DC flight that was diverted in midair to Bangor, ME, because a passenger was found to be on a terrorist watchlist.

 

After the man was in custody for a few hours, the AP broke the story that the man is singer Cat Stevens, who converted to Islam some years ago.

 

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,133095,00.html

 

A plane bound for Washington from London was diverted to Maine on Tuesday after passenger Yusuf Islam -- formerly known as pop singer Cat Stevens (search) -- showed up on a U.S. watch list, federal officials said.

 

United Airlines Flight 919 had already taken off from London en route to Dulles International Airport (search) when the match was made between the passenger and the watch list, said Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

 

The plane was met by federal agents at Maine's Bangor International Airport (search) around 3 p.m., Melendez said.

 

Federal officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the individual as Islam.

 

One official said Islam, 56, was identified by the Advanced Passenger Information System, which requires airlines to send passenger information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's National Targeting Center. TSA was then contacted and requested that the plane land at the nearest airport, the official said.

 

"He was interviewed and denied admission to the United States on national security grounds," said Homeland Security spokesman Dennis Murphy. He said the man would be put on the first available flight out of the country Wednesday.

 

 

Islam, who was born Stephen Georgiou, took Cat Stevens as a stage name and had a string of hits in the 1960s and '70s, including "Wild World" and "Morning Has Broken." Last year he released two songs, including a re-recording of his '70s hit "Peace Train," to express his opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

 

He abandoned his music career in the late 1970s and changed his name after being persuaded by orthodox Muslim teachers that his lifestyle was forbidden by Islamic law. He later became a teacher and an advocate for his religion, founding a Muslim school in London in 1983.

 

Islam recently condemned the school seizure by militants in Beslan, Russia, earlier this month that left more than 300 dead, nearly half of them children.

 

In a statement on his Web site, he wrote, "Crimes against innocent bystanders taken hostage in any circumstance have no foundation whatsoever in the life of Islam and the model example of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him."

 

 

 

It's pretty fucked up that Stevens is the reason that a flight was diverted. The only logical reasons I can think of for doing so are that Stevens is a high-profile Islamic convert and that he may have donated money from his singing career to various Islamic charities. Even if he did give money to "dirty" charities, I seriously doubt he did so knowing what the money would be used for.

[Guest Shoes Head]

Yeah, he's known for taking his beautiful singing voice and reciting the Koran with it. You're dead on with the dirty charities thing.

[Highland 0]

He abandoned his music career in the late 1970s and changed his name after being persuaded by orthodox Muslim teachers that his lifestyle was forbidden by Islamic law. He later became a teacher and an advocate for his religion, founding a Muslim school in London in 1983.

 

This is why he was added to that list, not because he's a security risk. Stupid fucks detained me the last time I crossed the border because I was travelling alone and had a tan with a 4 day growth of beard. And my destination card was incomplete because they wouldn't give me the time to complete it after handing it to me.

They finally let me through, but only after detaining me for an hour and causing me to miss my flight. The guy was a prick; I felt like a suspect in an interrogation room.

 

edit: yes, I know I was detained because of my incomplete card, they still made me feel like a suspect though.

Edited September 22, 2004 by Highland

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

At least we've stopped Cat Stevens' plans of terror.

 

For now.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

^oh you'd like to think that wouldn't you?

 

*plays Cat Stevens song loudly*

 

He can't be stopped! He won't be stopped! HE ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT STOP UNTIL YOU ARE DEAD!!!

 

</kyle reese>

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

 

PH33R

[Guest MikeSC]

edit: yes, I know I was detained because of my incomplete card, they still made me feel like a suspect though.

At this risk of sounding mean, your feeling of offense is irrelevant. They did what they were SUPPOSED to do --- question you because your documents were not in order.

 

As for Cat --- NO chance of a suspect using an alias similar to Yousf Islam ever exists, right?

 

No chance at all.

-=Mike

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

I don't think you get your virgins/raisins if you rip off Cat Stevens for your alias

[Jobber of the Week 0]

At least we've stopped Cat Stevens' plans of terror.

 

For now.

We must remain vigilent, or Cat Stevens will have won.

[St. Gabe 0]

edit: yes, I know I was detained because of my incomplete card, they still made me feel like a suspect though.

At this risk of sounding mean, your feeling of offense is irrelevant. They did what they were SUPPOSED to do --- question you because your documents were not in order.

 

As for Cat --- NO chance of a suspect using an alias similar to Yousf Islam ever exists, right?

 

No chance at all.

-=Mike

are you afraid of the terrorists, Mike? (This is a serious question)

[Zorin Industries 0]

I don't know how many of you know the story of Salman Rushdie, but he was a writer who had a fatwah put on his head by Ayotlloah Khomeni because of a book he wrote. At the time Cat Stevens had recently converted to Islam and was quoted in an interview saying that Koran would condone the fatwah against Rushdie. In later years he apologised for what he said, saying he made a mistake as he was new to the faith and made a mistkae in saying what he did. Maybe he is on the list because of the fallout from this?

[1234-5678 0]

I listen to the wind

to the wind of my soul

Where I'll end up well I think,

only God really knows

I've sat upon the setting sun

But never, never never never

I never wanted water once

No, never, never, never

 

I listen to my words but

they fall far below

I let my music take me where

my heart wants to go

I swam upon the devil's lake

But never, never never never

I'll never make the same mistake

No, never, never, never

[Guest Nanks]

As for Cat --- NO chance of a suspect using an alias similar to Yousf Islam ever exists, right?

 

No chance at all.

-=Mike

Oh for God's sake....

 

Mike, surely even you can see the humour in Cat Stevens coming up on a terrorist watchlist.

 

As for the suggestion that a name like Yusuf Islam is a potential terrorist alias, what would you think of these names??

 

Inzamam-ul-Haq

Yousuf Youhana

Abdul Razzaq

Moin Khan

Shahid Afridi

Naved-ul-Hasan

Mohammad Sami

Shoaib Akhtar

Yasir Hameed

Salman BUTT

Shoaib Malik

 

Would you identify those people as potential terrorists who should each be thoroughly investigated and interviewed by authorities upon arrival into foreign countries??

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

edit: yes, I know I was detained because of my incomplete card, they still made me feel like a suspect though.

At this risk of sounding mean, your feeling of offense is irrelevant. They did what they were SUPPOSED to do --- question you because your documents were not in order.

I wish they were still keeping him locked down...

[Vanhalen 0]

Cat Stevens should be sent to Cuba for infliciting "Cats in the Cradle" into the world

[1234-5678 0]

Harry Chapin sang "Cats In The Cradle".

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Oh, that's who this guy is -- I knew that name sounded familar. The Cats in the Cradle guy.

 

Lock that hippie up.

 

EDIT: God damnit...

[Guest INXS]

Cat Stevens did "Morning has broken"!

[Slayer 0]

I don't think you get your virgins/raisins if you rip off Cat Stevens for your alias

What do you do with the not-virgins-anymore when you're done with all of them? Do you get a fresh supply, or do you have to deal with a heavenly form of your own sloppy seconds?

 

This Muslim version of the afterlife scares and confuses me

[Guest Nanks]

And do the virgins know what they're doing somehow or do you have to have dozens of awkward sexual experiences with chicks who are experiencing more pain than pleasure and don't know what to do??

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I just realized that I've never fucked a virgin. Wow.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I am waiting for Muhammad Ali to get stopped.

[Guest Shoes Head]

This Muslim version of the afterlife scares and confuses me

It's the exact same version of the Orthodox Jewish afterlife, before Christianity neutered it along with the kashruth and behavioral laws.

[bob_barron 0]

Oh, that's who this guy is -- I knew that name sounded familar. The Cats in the Cradle guy.

 

Lock that hippie up.

 

EDIT: God damnit...

Harry Chapin did Cats in the Cradle hippie.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Hence, my "EDIT." I admit my mistakes, as few and far between as they may be...

[Guest MikeSC]

I don't know how many of you know the story of Salman Rushdie, but he was a writer who had a fatwah put on his head by Ayotlloah Khomeni because of a book he wrote. At the time Cat Stevens had recently converted to Islam and was quoted in an interview saying that Koran would condone the fatwah against Rushdie. In later years he apologised for what he said, saying he made a mistake as he was new to the faith and made a mistkae in saying what he did. Maybe he is on the list because of the fallout from this?

Actually, his known support of Hamas, particularly Hamas, is a major issue (lord knows Israel LOVES the guy).

-=Mike

[jesse_ewiak 0]

Well, he's being deported so America is now safe from the terror overlord that is Cat Stevens!

 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...lane_diverted_9

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

I heard that Stevens was in the US back in May.

 

So obviously our CatSCAN has improved

[Highland 0]

edit: yes, I know I was detained because of my incomplete card, they still made me feel like a suspect though.

At this risk of sounding mean, your feeling of offense is irrelevant. They did what they were SUPPOSED to do --- question you because your documents were not in order.

I wish they were still keeping him locked down...

The Man can never keep me down. *raises fist*

[Zorin Industries 0]

Actually, his known support of Hamas, particularly Hamas, is a major issue (lord knows Israel LOVES the guy).

-=Mike

I know that he was refused entry to Israel 4 years ago, but not for this reason. Do you have a source?