Cat Stevens' Comments About Salman Rushdie
Following Ayatollah Khomeini's February 14, 1989 death fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, convert to Islam and recording artist Yusuf Islam, previously known as Cat Stevens, made statements that were interpreted as endorsing the killing of Rushdie. This generated a furor among a number of celebrities and free-speech activists in the West who spoke out about his comments on radio stations and newspaper editorials.
In response, Yusuf Islam said that some of his comments were "stupid and offensive jokes" made in "bad taste," while others were merely giving his interpretation of Islamic law but not advocating any action. Yusuf Islam also said that later in the same program he non-jokingly promised to accept the judgment of a British court if it found Rushdie innocent of any crime, blasphemy or otherwise.
Read more about Cat Stevens' Comments About Salman Rushdie: Criticism and Backlash, Alleged Resemblance To Character in The Novel
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