NAMES IN THE NEWS : Hassled in Israel, Stevens Says
Former pop singer Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, said today that Israeli authorities expelled him without explanation after holding him and his son at the airport and searching his belongings.
Islam said in a statement he endured a “three-hour ordeal” while his luggage was “ripped apart and everything from my sandals to my pocket copy of the Holy Koran was X-rayed and searched.”
He said he arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport on July 1 with his 5-year-old son, Muhammad, to attend a Muslim folk festival.
“I was getting highly irritated with the endless stream of uniformed officials all sneaking into the area and gawking side-eyed at me and my son, whispering, ‘It’s him . . . it’s Cat Stevens,’ ” Islam said.
The Israeli Embassy said its immigration authorities are not required to explain their actions.
The popular 1970s British pop singer changed his name and abandoned pop music when he became a Muslim.
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