Yusuf Islam 'Appalled' At Rushdie Misunderstanding

14-02-2007 07:31

Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, was "appalled" when newspapers accused him of calling for Salman Rushdie's head on a platter.Newspapers linked the singer to a Fatwa proclaimed after Rushdie committed blasphemy in his 1989 novel The Satanic Verses.But Islam insists he merely questioned Islamic law.

The 58-year-old says, "I never supported the Fatwa."At a lecture back in 1989, I was asked a question about blasphemy according to Islamic law. I simply repeated the legal view according to my limited knowledge of the scriptural texts, based directly on the historical commentaries of the Koran (which states that blasphemy is a capital offence)."The next day, newspaper headlines read: 'Cat Says Kill Rushdie'. I was appalled."