Martin, it did not go over my head. I myself made a joke about the name "Yusuf Islam", saying that I had met at least 75 Muslims with that name. I was being tongue in cheek when I said that. It was a humorous statement, intended to lampoon these kind of generic names that are given to new converts of any such aggressive prosyletizing faith. For a few good laughs, look up the names of Black Muslims and see if you can find some of the most popular ones. These things go in and out of style...like the name "Britney" for girls.

As far as I can see, Cat Stevens is just like you. He thinks his faith is the one "True faith", just like you do. He's musically quite talented, and he's totally partisan and biased on one side of the Muslim-Jewish quarrel (just like you are)...to the extent that he is probably incapable of respecting or seeing the humanity of the people on the other side of that quarrel. Either that or he pities them, feels that they are beyond reasoning with, and must be therefore be fought and if necessary destroyed.

I don't share those negative viewpoints of either Jews or Muslims. I think you don't like Yusuf Islam because he reminds you of yourself...only you just don't realize it.

He's got no time for your people. You've got no time for his people. You would both most likely be willing to sanction murder (in my opinion of what "murder" really means) in order to achieve what you would call "victory".   I don't call that victory, I call it total abject failure. Failure to be either wise or just, and failure to be fully human...if to be fully human is to honor life and thereby honor God.

So why criticize Yusuf Islam? He appears to think in the same exclusive terms that you are accustomed to thinking in. And he's just as proud of it as you are, evidently. But...pride goeth before a fall, it is said.

The God that you both imagine you are honoring by denying each other's people and faith honors BOTH of you...without prejudice...and sees you both as equal brothers. You are of one blood and one spirit, you and Yusuf Islam....and so are all the other Jews and Arabs who are wasting their time and talents hating and killing each other.