Vive Le Canada - Whošs afraid of... Cat Stevens?

We've been told that former pop star Cat Stevens was deported from the U.S. because of alleged terrorist ties discovered by American intelligence.

I found this curious and started asking myself some questions.

Why would Cat Stevens be considered a threat to the national security of the United States, a country that he has visited some 20 times in the past year and which he describes as "a part of Godšs earth that I love and whose people have always been great friends to me"?

Is it because he has really become a terrorist sympathizer, I wondered? I think not. Had the secret services in fact believed that, they would surely have shipped him off for extrajudicial treatment in Guantanamo (where the terrorist population is waning dangerously these days) or **rendered** him, say, to Syria, for third-party questioning and much more.

Is it because he changed his name and his religion to Islam? Not likely, because the American leaders have nothing against Muslims. In fact, many figure amongst their best friends and allies, such as Prince Bandar, the Saudi Ambassador, who often comes to President Bush's ranch to pay a visit; or terror-fighting President Musharraf of Pakistan; or the members of the Bin Laden family (although this relationship, mind you, is only a rumor).

Is it because he abandoned a brilliant and lucrative career worth millions? Now *this* a serious offense! In the land where the all-mighty buck really does talk, to turn onešs back on it is an act of pure treason. Hell no, that can't be it either. After all, Martha Stewart abandoned her profitable business for a five-month retreat in a club with lots of bars, and there has been no noticeable effect on her bottom line.

I spent a sleepless night mulling over all the possibilities and permutations in my tormented mind. And finally, upon waking the next morning, Eureka! The true reason for the strong-arm maneuver by the Homeland Security people suddenly dawned on me, and it all made perfect sense.

Cat Stevens -- aka Yusuf Islam, aka Stephen Georgiou -- does indeed have ties with fearsome groups and individuals: those who seek through prayer and deed to build a world where peace and understanding prevail among all peoples.

This is a dangerous man. Having once dreamed of a "Peace Train," he dropped fame and fortune to promote pacifism (God forbid!) and relieve suffering around the world. His secret cell, known as "Small Kindness," provides direct relief and support to the most vulnerable victims of war and conflict in places such as Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq. His hidden agenda is to build a fraternal world to counterbalance today's "Wild World." In a word, this is a dangerous pacifist.

So if everyone started to advocate wildly for peace as he does, who would be left to lobby for war for the conventional war, the covert war, the Petro Wars, Star Wars, the war on terror, the war for democracy, the preventive war, the perpetual war all of which require a lot of big expensive guns. And it goes without saying, someone has to manufacture and sell this basic material, and perhaps turn a little profit in passing.

To this someone, Cat Stevens represents a danger indeed.

Benyounčs Saidi