I know what you mean. Ditching music to devote oneself to a religion that issues death threats to non-believers? That sounds rather depressing. You know what I think it is? I think some people will go to extreme lengths to distinguish themselves. I think Cat wanted to be different.

Yusuf apologized to the world for the radical remarks he made in the late 70's and began preaching peace after 911. Then the humanitarian awards started raining down from the heavens! It kind of reminds me of certain former members of high profile street gangs -doing mea culpa after destroying innocent lives, writing books and being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Shouldn't be that easy for him.

All I know is that musicians have a lot of influence over people, especially young people. They are like shamans almost. I remember my older sister was a huge fan of Cat Stevens. She was very impressed by his decision to convert to Islam. That made him seem more committed to spirituality than your average musician. There was some strong appeal there.

On another thread someone posted a horrifying video of a radical Islamic protest in Britain where a very pretty young woman wearing a perfectly tasteful dress was asked who she wanted to seduce -by a woman covered from head to toe in a burqua. Unbelievable. In Pakistan, dress code violators are routinely attacked with acid and sometimes raped and killed!

I think they should send the radical MEN to live in Muslim countries. Within six months the women will be living their lives as free citizens. Of course, I'm only making a point here. It's not a practical solution. And I could be wrong. Indoctrination can go pretty deep.