Here’s an interesting tidbit I hadn’t seen before about Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, the former pop singer turned radical Islamist, being identified by mainstream media as a “peace activist” in dozens of articles suggesting that he was wrongly denied entry into the US: Singer Formerly Known as Cat Stevens on Watch List. (Hat tip: Amy.)

It’s alleged he gave thousands to the militant Palestinian group Hamas, and to the son of blind cleric Omar Abdel Rachman who was believed to have masterminded the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Yusuf Islam denies giving money to terrorists, and claims he thought he was donating to the poor.

ABC News says Rachman was “believed” to have masterminded the 1993 WTC bombing—but, of course, he was convicted of it.

UPDATE at 9/22/04 11:34:34 am:

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is outraged: Muslim Group Objects to Exclusion of Former Pop Star. (Hat tip: Writer Mom.)

(CNSNews.com) - An Islamic civil rights group says it will hold a noontime press conference in Washington on Wednesday to condemn the expulsion of Yusuf Islam — the former Cat Stevens — from the United States. …

CAIR describes Yusuf Islam as an internationally-known Muslim activist and educator who recently spoke out against the Russian school massacre. His reputation as a peace activist dates back to his pop music days in the 1970s, when he had a string of hits, including “Wild World” and “Peace Train.”

Yusuf Islam will be returned to London on Wednesday. His daughter, with whom he was traveling, was allowed to enter the U.S., press reports said.

“When internationally-respected Islamic personalities like Yusuf Islam and Professor Tariq Ramadan are denied entry to the United States, it sends the disturbing message that even moderate and mainstream Muslims will now be treated like terrorists,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad in a press release.