Cat Stevens Refuses to Speak to Unveiled Women

meme · July 2008

Thanks for posting, and good for him. Funny how our contingent of conspiracy theorists and media doubters just accepted these accusation without question.

Also, couldn't the refusal (if it had occurred) be read as a form or respect?Something like a devout Christian embarassed by a naked guide?

"It's all the other way round, we're upside down..."

London Calling wrote:

I thought i'd bring this post back since this was announced this morning. I think some people on this board owe an apology as well.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7513574.stm

Cat Stevens accepts libel damages

Musician Cat Stevens - now known as Yusuf Islam - has won libel damages over articles suggesting he refused to talk to women not wearing a veil.

The stories also claimed that the singer - a Muslim convert - would only speak to women other than his wife through a third party.

His lawyer told The High Court in London that "Mr Islam has never had difficulties working with women".

The World Entertainment News Network agency has already apologised.

'False impression'

Its article, entitled "Yusuf Islam ignores bare-headed women", was distributed to its subscribers including Contactmusic.com, read by more than two million people per month, which also published an apology on its website.

Mr Islam's laywer, Adam Tudor, told the court the allegations had caused the singer "considerable embarrassment and distress".

He said that the defendants now accepted that the claims were "entirely false" and had "created an utterly false impression of attitude to women"

"In his normal life, women feature among some of the most influential people in Mr Islam's team."

Mr Tudor added that the story "cast serious aspersions, quite wrongly, on his religious faith, which is of the utmost importance to him".

WENN and Contactmusic.com also agreed to pay the singer's legal costs, while the damages have been donated to his charity Small Kindness.

The musician, who converted to Islam in 1977, was not in court.

In 2005, Mr Islam won substantial libel damages from The Sun and Sunday Times after they falsely claimed he supported terrorism.

RolandTD20Kdrummer · July 2008

I for one don't give a shit if cat stevens cut's his manhood off, starts dressing like a circus woman and sings Elvis songs...

Cat who?

jeffbr · July 2008

NMyTree wrote:

I don't speak to women unless they're unveiled.....or should I say, topless.

I think I like your religion best of all.

catefrances · July 2008

jeffbr wrote:

Why is it fairly obvious? Wacky religionists all over the world practice their religions in silly ways. Matisyahu here in the States belongs to some strange Hasidic Jewish sect and he will not touch a woman. So no female fans can hug him or shake his hand or anything. Plenty of pentacostal or fundie christian sects won't let their kids go to dances. Strange Islamic practices require females to be covered head to toe. They are all perfectly free to be wacky, and I am happy to point and laugh.

i also heard matisyahu wont play gigs on fridays either.

slightofjeff · July 2008

THC wrote:

that's his religion. he has freedom of religion...he can do whatever he pleases...who cares....

If his religion makes him degrade women, then is religion is fucked up.

Fortunately, it doesn't appear that his religion forces him to degrade women.

rebornFixer · July 2008

jeffbr wrote:

Wacky. I liked his music. Too bad he became a freak show.

No kidding ... Not sure what happened to this poor guy.

Cat Stevens Refuses to Speak to Unveiled Women

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