Personally, I used to work for A&M Records when Cat was at the peak of his career as a singer/musician. I was lucky to get press packages, albums and photos of him. My goal was to meet him in person - and 99% of all people I've wanted to meet in person, I have (and there's quite a lot of those). I met Cat at the Old World Restaurant that used to be on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. We were with friends having lunch. I couldn't believe he was sitting right there at the next table, so I had to get up and talk with him. He was absolutely gorgeous and kind and I felt we had known each other before (okay, in another lifetime to be precise). When he changed his name to Yusuf when he became a Muslim, I smiled because I have the same strong connection (from a past life) with Joseph from the bible (I gave one of my sons that as a middle name).

I saw and felt his heart and I know it's good.I don't believe he'd ever do anything to harm another person. I was shocked when Cat was taken off a plane by Homeland Security when he was on heading to Nashville to record an album. U.S. agents said he was removed for being on the do not fly list - a threat. Personally, I feel it is a mix-up. Here are the main parts of the interview which I transcribed (and I have no idea if it's violating any copyright laws).

Cat's given name was Steven Demetre Georgiou, born July 21, 1948. Cat's mother was Swedish and a Baptist, his father was Greek Orthodox Catholic. He went to a Catholic school as a kid because it was near his father's work.

Conversion to Islam happened but wasn't sudden - he was always searching for the meaning to life, it's in his songs. He didn't like things that were hidden or secret, locked away and he was told "you can't go there" and he'd say "why not?" He looked into several ways of looking at the universe, science was telling one thing, and people replaced that with religion, no one was really sure. So he went through many developments in his identity and art and still wasn't satisfied, didn't have that piece. Then he was given a copy of the Koran by his brother, David, who isn't a Muslim. He got it in Jerusalem in 1976. He said that was the bible for the Muslims and gave it to Cat as a gift. At that time Islam was a secret, very little in the news about it, so he was discovering this privately and reading the Koran alone and interpreting it by himself. (Yes, you can write Koran as Qu'ran but I'm using the more English way here.) He feels in Islam it's more of a universal approach. But when he saw all the names of the prophets in the Koran, that was startling for him.

Cat said that he was in the U.S. 19 times since 9/11, even right after 9/11, and even came to the World Economic Forum and met with Hillary Clinton and Peter Gabriel, etc. He never had any trouble. Last May he did take some holidays - one with his family to do a small pilgrimage in Mecca/Medina (aha, that's probably why), and then to Dubai to meet with his media people there, and to Malaysia for a vacation. That's it. Suddenly he's on this do not fly list and the agents asked him questions about the spelling of his name, which they had wrong.

The U.S. says they got info from the intelligence community. Could be potentially related to terrorism, and has more info that could potentially raise the threat where he's concerned. Cat said it's not true - he's never been involved in terrorism and this is probably an attempt to link him to something unsavory. He has no clue what they're talking about. He said he has not stopped wanting to get on the peace train and he wants to know what happened and he wants an explanation. He wants to get to the bottom of this. Colin Powell said there is nothing they can charge Cat with anywhere. Cat said that there seems to be more than one story: one is that they got his name spelled wrong. The other thing is that there was some other question of him being a U.S. citizen, and other issues happening between July and Sept. and he wants to know what they are talking about. Cat said that there are people who go around frightening others, creating storm where there is no storm, so probably that is the answer and it's for them to explain, not his job. Larry asked if he has a lawyer or someone asking for the U.S. to back up the charges. Yes - Cat has a lawyer who wrote to Homeland Security for an explanation and to remove his name from the watch list. The case is under review and they're waiting for information. He doesn't know why he was allowed on the plane if he was on a watch list to begin with. The glitch might not have been in the U.K. but in Washington. Cat isn't looking for a big apology, but freedom of movement and to clear his name, as he does want to return here.

Larry asked him if maybe with his not even knowing it he was given a gift for someone that was linked to terrorism. Cat said that he gives money to orphans, widows, for girls' education (like right now the one they support is in Iraq). He doesn't know of anything specific. But, supposedly (this is my note) rumor has it he is linked to Hamas and supporting Palestinians. Don't know if that's true. He might be suppporting victims of wars. He denies this connection.

Cat wrote an editorial after 9/11 and said Islam was hijacked by terrorists on that day. On that day Cat was in the BBC studio having an interview and he came out of the studio and saw a little monitor and saw the twin towers and a fire. Then he went to do another interview and the whole story unfolded. He wrote an editorial attacking what the terrorists did. Larry asked if that day hurt Cat's faith around the world.

"Of course. It's a distortion of the concept of terrorism itself, which has nothing to do with the true and pure teachings of Islam. When you come to the Koran, it says, 'Whoever takes the life of an innocent person, unless it be through the process of law, then it's as if you have killed the whole of humanity. Well, that is mirroring what we already know. It's in the bible. It's the same law. It doesn't change. Nobody can escape the judgment of taking life in that kind of way; victims, innocent people who have nothing to do with whatever the program or agenda of what this terrorist act was."

"A Muslim who commits terrorism is going completely against his faith?" Larry asked. Cat answered, "Yes. I mean, this is obvious. And the Koran is very clear about it. If you look at the teachings of the Koran which I learned when I became a Muslim...what does it say? It says belief and good deeds. Well, you tell me how to do good deeds. Good deeds is prayer, charity, fasting, it's being honest. So, it's an antithesis of what Islam stands for and therefore we completely condemned it, it's abhorrent. But we have a new world today. And what's happened subsequently to that is, has I think, been, I would say maybe perhaps increasing the fear factor. And I believe there must be a better way of creating peace and create a better bridge between the Muslim world and the rest of the world. I'm an example of someone who's been on the bridge, Larry. I've seen both sides, and believe me there's good on both sides. I love God's earth wherever there are good people, there are people of religion. That needs to come out now. The war, the slogans for war against nations, whatever the excuse. Let's calm down. Let's get back to normality. And I think we must do that by supporting the cause of peace and tolerance and negotiation.

Larry asked if the Muslim concept of faith itself was hurt by Black Muslims in the U.S. and violence, Louis Farrakhan and anti-Semitism that that image broadened out the...the Jew would hear someone's a Muslim and immediately think less. Cat said that this is something that has been there a long time. There were books written a long time ago from Orientalists trying to reshape the view of Islam. "It's only when you go to the actual sources of Islamic knowledge you find a completely different story and then you see what Islam is. It's actually a way in which we can view religion. And if you study the history of Islam when it was correctly applied in this world, it was tolerant. There was always the room of people of different faiths living together. That knowledge is not very evident in the tabloids. It's not very evident in the media today because it's taken on almost the banner of the former Orientalists in trying to create a different view of Islam. That is not the view of Islam that I know."

Larry asked Cat if there is anything in the Koran that attacks Judaism, anti-Semitic. "Well, I think that part of the New Testament would be, too, if you analyze it. Jesus, is reported at some point, to have been correcting the Pharisees and scribes and saying oh you, whatever. Of course, there are verses in the Koran which try if you like correct, maybe some deviations. But as far as the Jewish faith is concerned, let me tell you a verse in the Koran. A very important verse. It says, "Those who believe (means Muslims, in this case) and those who were Judaized, and those Sabines, and the Christians, whoever believes in God and the last day and does good works, no fear shall come upon them, neither shall they grieve." That is a verse in the Koran, Larry. Now, a lot of people don't get to that part. They look at some of the sections, which yes, they talk about certain wars which took place - again, some of those are historical, had to be read in context. But the general principle is that there is no compulsion in religion and life is sacred. Simple as that."

"Do you think some good can come of this?" asked Larry. "Yes," said Cat," I'm an optimist, Larry, and I once sang a song like, 'If I ever lose my legs, I won't have to walk,' and it was called 'Moonshadow' and so I believe always that something good can come out. If my case can become an example to improve the system to make sure that innocent people do not get indiscriminately picked on or victimized, then I think some good will come out of it. Not just that. I mean I have some kind of inkling. Well, you know I was going to Nashville. I was thinking about, you know, musical ideas and I thought, 'well, maybe this is a sign from God that I shouldn't think about that.' But then I thought, 'No! Maybe this has brought it more to my attention so that I should.' And so who knows what will resolve from this."

Cat said he would like to return to the U.S. and the real issue is to have his freedom of movement, a liberty which he values dearly and it shouldn't be taken away from him or anybody else and has nothing to do with these issues of terrorism.

Anybody can see his sincerity and genuine concern for freedom and peace. I hope the U.S. government will apologize and reinstate his freedom to be here. To see more about this interview, please go to this Cat Stevens site. To read my review of Yusuf's new CD, please click here.