hearts and minds, kiddies.

[sisyphusshrugged]

sigh.

Security officials can't quite explain why singer Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf Islam, was on a U.S. government "no fly" list. Homeland Security officials diverted his D.C.-bound jet to Bangor, Maine. Security experts in England said that Islam years ago helped set up an Islamic charity which campaigned to bar non-Muslims from Jerusalem; he also allegedly provided funds to the militant Palestinian group Hamas. In 1994, according to German police records, the singer met a German Islamic militant who later was mentor to 9/11 hijackers. But recently Yusuf Islam broke with Muslim militants, condemning extremism and pledging proceeds from a CD set to 9/11 families. Jewish leaders in Britain praise him as a moderate and say an Islamic school he set up in North London teaches a peaceful brand of Islam. "All indications are that his move away from extremism is entirely genuine, and he now concentrates on his school and his music," said Michael Whine, a spokesman for Britain's Jewish community.

U.S. security officials say that Islam's name for years has been on watch lists requiring that his U.S. visits be monitored. Records show that since 1999, he has visited the United States at least 19 times, most recently last May, when he traveled to Washington and met with top Bush administration officials, including U.S. foreign-aid chief Andrew Natsios; Jim Towey, chief of the White House office for "faith based" programs, and a Treasury official hunting terrorist financiers. What changed since May? Sources say the CIA issued a fresh intelligence report accusing Islam of recently meeting with extremists overseasÑpossibly in Dubai, where he maintains a residence; on July 27, at the request of the "intelligence community," the Homeland Security Department put his name on a "no fly" list, which banned him from getting on any U.S.-bound flight. (He was allowed to board his flight to Washington by mistake.) But sources familiar with U.S. intelligence told NEWSWEEK most of the info on Islam is old and that the latest intel may be of little consequence. Islam is threatening legal action to clear his name, and issued a statement denouncing "all forms of terrorism and injustice; it is simply outrageous for the U.S. authorities to suggest otherwise."

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[snuh.livejournal.com]

Saturday, Sep. 25, 2004
You Say Yusuf, I Say Youssouf...
The Cat Stevens incident has its origins in a spelling mistake
By SALLY B. DONNELLY - TIME

The Yusuf Islam incident earlier this week, in which the former Cat Stevens was denied entry into the U.S. when federal officials determined he was on the government's "no-fly" antiterror list, started with a simple spelling error. According to aviation sources with access to the list, there is no Yusuf Islam on the no-fly registry, though there is a "Youssouf Islam." The incorrect name was added to the register this summer, but because Islam's name is spelled "Yusuf" on his British passport, he was allowed to board a plane in London bound for the U.S. The Transportation Safety Administration alleges that Islam has links to terrorist groups, which he has denied; British foreign minister Jack Straw said the TSA action "should never have been taken."

The incident points up some of the real problems facing security personnel as they try to enforce the "no-fly" list. One issue is spelling; many foreign names have several different transliterations into English. And the sheer size of the list is daunting; thousands of names have been added in the last couple months, says one government official, bringing the total up to more than 19,000 names to look out for. That makes it difficult for airlines and government agencies to check all passengers. Within the past six months, several people on the no fly list have been mistakenly allowed to fly.

Still, the TSA is learning. It recently acknowledged that a Federal Air Marshall, unable to fly for weeks when his name was mistakenly put on the "no-fly" list, was in fact not a threat, and removed his name from the list.