British Foreign Secretary Criticizes U.S. For Denying Cat Stevens Entry

September 24, 2004

Source: The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1311786,00.html

On September 24, 2004 The Guardian reported, "US officials last night defended the deportation of Yusuf Islam, previously known as Cat Stevens, as it emerged that the former pop star met White House officials earlier this year. Jack Straw, the foreign secretary earlier intervened in the row by telling Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, that the decision to ban Mr Islam 'should not have been taken.' Mr. Straw, who is in New York to address the UN, was meeting Mr Powell to discuss unrelated matters. The Foreign Office had initially said the matter was one for US authorities... It emerged yesterday that on his last visit in May he met with officials of the White House's office of faith-based and community initiatives to discuss philanthropic work. The US department of homeland security said last night that fresh intelligence had been gathered since then."