He used to be known as Cat Stevens — and his recordings from the 1970's are being rereleased on CD to mark the 30th anniversary of his 1st American hits. In 1977, he embraced the Islamic faith and turned his back on the music industry. He was denounced for his reported support of the Ayatollah Khomeni's death decree against novelist Salman Rushdie, and just this month, he was not allowed to enter Israel for his reported support of Hamas. Yusuf Islam tells Liane his side of the story, and about his life and faith.
Copyright 2000 NPR