Oooooh!
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| Cat Stevens to take legal action |
| 2004-09-24 |
| Yusuf Islam, the British singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, is taking legal action after he was refused entry into the US. Mr Islam said the decision to deny him entry on grounds of national security was "very serious and wholly unfounded" and he wants an explanation. His Washington-bound flight was diverted to Maine on Tuesday and he was told to leave the country by the FBI. He said a legal process had been put in place to find out what had happened. In a statement Mr Islam said: "Never would I believe that such a thing could happen in the 'land of the free' - unfortunately, it did. "I was not given (and have still not been given) any explanation as to what it is I am accused of, or why I am now deemed an apparent security threat. "I was simply told that the order had come from 'on high'. "We have now initiated a legal process to try to find out exactly what is going on, and to take all necessary steps to undo the very serious, and wholly unfounded, injustice which I have suffered. "I am a man of peace and denounce all forms of terrorism and injustice; it is simply outrageous for the US authorities to suggest otherwise." Action was taken against the musician, who converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam in the 1970s, after US officials realised he was on a security "watch list". As singer Cat Stevens he had a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including Moon Shadow, Wild World and Morning Has Broken. He abandoned his music career in the late 1970s. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #19 I was told time ago that if you hold a valid visa you can challenge the decision of refusal although that might have changed. Not my area of expertise but: This is very likely exactly correct but it's extremely important to note that the first level of legal authority to which one would be appealing would probably be an administrative agency whose decision would be based on their own internally promulgated administrative rules. Such a decision based on administrative rules would necessarily be subservient to federal laws enacted by Congress and of course the US Constitution. IIRC it's a fairly well-settled point of Constitutional law that no non-citizen has a right to enter the US. Most courts will also allow the federal government fairly wide deference where matters of national security are involved. Thus while an administrative agency could issue an order allowing admission to an excluded person, if the federal government chose to push the matter it's highly unlikely that the administrative decision would stand. |
| Posted by: AzCat 2004-09-24 8:14:04 PM |
| #18 Fine by me. Get cingold on the horn. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-09-24 7:33:40 PM |
| #17 Two words for tu: Class. Action. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2004-09-24 6:37:17 PM |
| #16 Can I sue him for torturing me with all those horseshit songs he wrote in the 70's? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-09-24 6:29:38 PM |
| #15 Yusuf Islam formerly Cat Stevens formerly Stephen Demetri Georgio had an album out in the early 1970s titled âCatch [Throw the] Bull at Four.â As Shakespeareâs dialog goes in Hamlet: HAMLET: Madam, how like you this play? QUEEN GERTRUDE: The lady protests too much, methinks. Probably one of our soldiers found Yusaf Islamâs name on a list in some cave in Afghanistan as somebody to tap for money or he recently donated to one of the charities tied to the jihadists. Maybe Yusaf and Elton could do a benefit concert together in Iran or in the Sunni triangle in Iraq. They could sing Peace Train or Wild World. Oh, I forgot he is one of the peaceful Muslins not one of the jihadists. |
| Posted by: HJ 2004-09-24 5:04:30 PM |
| #14 If Cat was trying to enter the U.S. on the visa waiver program, he has no rights to challenge the decision of U.S. immigration officers. I was told time ago that if you hold a valid visa you can challenge the decision of refusal although that might have changed. In one of my expired passports there is a U.S. visa valid "indefinitely". Years ago the "indefinitely" was abolished and reduced to "ten years". Eternity is shorter than you might expect... at least in the United States. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-09-24 4:50:30 PM |
| #13 just cause you're paranoid doesn't mean that you aren't being followed by a moon shadow. |
| Posted by: 2B 2004-09-24 2:58:45 PM |
| #12 The Brits should arrest him for his $$$ fro Hamas bus bombers plus other Jihadist terror outfits, since British Israelis may have been murdered. As far as the U.S. I do not think this crumb will attempt a return in the near future. Just in case, keep Mr Islam's name on the no-fly anywhere list! |
| Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-09-24 11:57:32 AM |
| #11 Back to London, or get an all expensees paid trip to Guantanamo Bay. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-09-24 11:55:21 AM |
| #10 Do you, or do you not, still advocate the murder of Salman Rushdie? To parse, that is the killing, by any means, of the author of the book "The Satanic Verses", by the name of Salman Rushdie, which you have advocated in the past. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2004-09-24 11:40:59 AM |
| #9 Or maybe Cat's 1988 contribution to Hamas. |
| Posted by: Tom 2004-09-24 11:40:45 AM |
| #8 Are you sure that's not the lockbox that Al Gore would put him in? |
| Posted by: Tom 2004-09-24 11:38:23 AM |
| #7 Ouch!He has been handbaged by Howard. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-09-24 11:31:43 AM |
| #6 Oooooh! |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-09-24 11:28:43 AM |
| #5 What is this "legal process" in which an alien demands an explanation. Israel kicked him out earlier, so he ought to be able understand the procedure without a "legal process". |
| Posted by: Tom 2004-09-24 11:28:32 AM |
| #4 Yusuf Islam, [...], is taking legal action after he was refused entry into the US. Because everybody has a right to come to the US whenever they want. Right. God, I'm sick to death of the rest of the world acting like the US is community property. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-09-24 11:27:53 AM |
| #3 Well first he will have to prove he has a right to enter the United States, Something he can't do. He has no right to do so and we can keep him out, just because. So there is his answer "just because" It is more like just because you gave money to Hamas though. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-09-24 11:24:02 AM |
| #2 Good career move. My publicist thinks you should try for a spot on the next iPod ad campaign. |
| Posted by: Pee Wee Herman 2004-09-24 11:17:00 AM |
| #1 "I got yer explanation right here, jihadi-boy..." |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-09-24 11:15:23 AM |